PRESTER JOHN

by

JOHN BUCHAN

TO

LIONEL PHILLIPS

 Time, they say, must the best of us capture, And travel and battle and gems and gold No more can kindle the ancient rapture, For even the youngest of hearts grows old. But in you, I think, the boy is not over; So take this medley of ways and wars As the gift of a friend and a fellow-lover Of the fairest country under the stars. 

 J. B. 

CONTENTS

 i. The Man on the Kirkcaple Shore ii. Furth! Fortune! iii. Blaauwildebeestefontein iv. My Journey to the Winter-Veld v. Mr Wardlaw Has a Premonition vi. The Drums Beat at Sunset vii. Captain Arcoll Tells a Tale viii. I Fall in Again with the Reverend John Laputa ix. The Store at Umvelos' x. I Go Treasure-Hunting xi. The Cave of the Rooirand xii. Captain Arcoll Sends a Message xiii. The Drift of the Letaba xiv. I Carry the Collar of Prester John xv. Morning in the Berg xvi. Inanda's Kraal xvii. A Deal and Its Consequences xviii. How a Man May Sometimes Put His Trust in a Horse xix. Arcoll's Shepherding xx. My Last Sight of the Reverend John Laputa xxi. I Climb the Crags a Second Time xxii. A Great Peril and a Great Salvation xxiii. My Uncle's Gift Is Many Times Multiplied

CHAPTER I

THE MAN ON THE KIRKCAPLE SHORE

I mind as if it were yesterday my first sight of the man. Little Iknew at the time how big the moment was with destiny, or how often thatface seen in the fitful moonlight would haunt my sleep and disturb mywaking hours. But I mind yet the cold grue of terror I got from it, aterror which was surely more than the due of a few truant lads breakingthe Sabbath with their play. 

The town of Kirkcaple, of which and its adjacent parish of Portincrossmy father was the minister, lies on a hillside above the little bay ofCaple, and looks squarely out on the North Sea. Round the horns ofland which enclose the bay the coast shows on either side a battlementof stark red cliffs through which a burn or two makes a pass to thewater's edge. The bay itself is ringed with fine clean sands, where welads of the burgh school loved to bathe in the warm weather. But onlong holidays the sport was to go farther afield among the cliffs; forthere there were many deep caves and pools, where podleys might becaught with the line, and hid treasures sought for at the expense ofthe skin of the knees and the buttons of the trousers. Many a longSaturday I have passed in a crinkle of the cliffs, having lit a fire ofdriftwood, and made believe that I was a smuggler or a Jacobite newlanded from France. There was a band of us in Kirkcaple, lads of myown age, including Archie Leslie, the son of my father's session-clerk, and Tam Dyke, the provost's nephew. We were sealed to silence by theblood oath, and we bore each the name of some historic pirate orsailorman. I was Paul Jones, Tam was Captain Kidd, and Archie, need Isay it, was Morgan himself. Our tryst was a cave where a little watercalled the Dyve Burn had cut its way through the cliffs to the sea. There we forgathered in the summer evenings and of a Saturday afternoonin winter, and told mighty tales of our prowess and flattered our sillyhearts. But the sober truth is that our deeds were of the humblest, and a dozen of fish or a handful of apples was all our booty, and ourgreatest exploit a fight with the roughs at the Dyve tan-work. 

My father's spring Communion fell on the last Sabbath of April, and onthe particular Sabbath of which I speak the weather was mild and brightfor the time of year. I had been surfeited with the Thursday's andSaturday's services, and the two long diets of worship on the Sabbathwere hard for a lad of twelve to bear with the spring in his bones andthe sun slanting through the gallery window. There still remained theservice on the Sabbath evening--a doleful prospect, for the Rev. MrMurdoch of Kilchristie, noted for the length of his discourses, hadexchanged pulpits with my father. So my mind was ripe for the proposalof Archie Leslie, on our way home to tea, that by a little skill wemight give the kirk the slip. At our Communion the pews were emptiedof their regular occupants and the congregation seated itself as itpleased. The manse seat was full of the Kirkcaple relations of MrMurdoch, who had been invited there by my mother to hear him, and itwas not hard to obtain permission to sit with Archie and Tam Dyke inthe cock-loft in the gallery. Word was sent to Tam, and so it happenedthat three abandoned lads duly passed the plate and took their seats inthe cock-loft. But when the bell had done jowing, and we heard by thesounds of their feet that the elders had gone in to the kirk, weslipped down the stairs and out of the side door. We were through thechurchyard in a twinkling, and hot-foot on the road to the Dyve Burn. It was the fashion of the genteel in Kirkcaple to put their boys intowhat were known as Eton suits--long trousers, cut-away jackets, andchimney-pot hats. I had been one of the earliest victims, and well Iremember how I fled home from the Sabbath school with the snowballs ofthe town roughs rattling off my chimney-pot. Archie had followed, hisfamily being in all things imitators of mine. We were now clothed inthis wearisome garb, so our first care was to secrete safely our hatsin a marked spot under some whin bushes on the links. Tam was free fromthe bondage of fashion, and wore his ordinary best knickerbockers. From inside his jacket he unfolded his special treasure, which was tolight us on our expedition--an evil-smelling old tin lantern with ashutter. 

Tam was of the Free Kirk persuasion, and as his Communion fell on adifferent day from ours, he was spared the bondage of church attendancefrom which Archie and I had revolted. But notable events had happenedthat day in his church. A black man, the Rev. JohnSomething-or-other, had been preaching. Tam was full of the portent. 'A nagger, ' he said, 'a great black chap as big as your father, Archie. ' He seemed to have banged the bookboard with some effect, andhad kept Tam, for once in his life, awake. He had preached about theheathen in Africa, and how a black man was as good as a white man inthe sight of God, and he had forecast a day when the negroes would havesomething to teach the British in the way of civilization. So at anyrate ran the account of Tam Dyke, who did not share the preacher'sviews. 'It's all nonsense, Davie. The Bible says that the children ofHam were to be our servants. If I were the minister I wouldn't let anigger into the pulpit. I wouldn't let him farther than the Sabbathschool. '

Night fell as we came to the broomy spaces of the links, and ere we hadbreasted the slope of the neck which separates Kirkcaple Bay from thecliffs it was as dark as an April evening with a full moon can be. Tamwould have had it darker. He got out his lantern, and after aprodigious waste of matches kindled the candle-end inside, turned thedark shutter, and trotted happily on. We had no need of his lightingtill the Dyve Burn was reached and the path began to descend steeplythrough the rift in the crags. 

It was here we found that some one had gone before us. Archie was greatin those days at tracking, his ambition running in Indian paths. Hewould walk always with his head bent and his eyes on the ground, whereby he several times found lost coins and once a trinket dropped bythe provost's wife. At the edge of the burn, where the path turnsdownward, there is a patch of shingle washed up by some spate. Archiewas on his knees in a second. 'Lads, ' he cried, 'there's spoor here;'and then after some nosing, 'it's a man's track, going downward, a bigman with flat feet. It's fresh, too, for it crosses the damp bit ofgravel, and the water has scarcely filled the holes yet. '

We did not dare to question Archie's woodcraft, but it puzzled us whothe stranger could be. In summer weather you might find a party ofpicnickers here, attracted by the fine hard sands at the burn mouth. But at this time of night and season of the year there was no call forany one to be trespassing on our preserves. No fishermen came thisway, the lobster-pots being all to the east, and the stark headland ofthe Red Neb made the road to them by the water's edge difficult. Thetan-work lads used to come now and then for a swim, but you would notfind a tan-work lad bathing on a chill April night. Yet there was noquestion where our precursor had gone. He was making for the shore. Tam unshuttered his lantern, and the steps went clearly down thecorkscrew path. 'Maybe he is after our cave. We'd better go cannily. '

The glim was dowsed--the words were Archie's--and in the bestcontraband manner we stole down the gully. The business had suddenlytaken an eerie turn, and I think in our hearts we were all a littleafraid. But Tam had a lantern, and it would never do to turn back froman adventure which had all the appearance of being the true sort. Halfway down there is a scrog of wood, dwarf alders and hawthorn, whichmakes an arch over the path. I, for one, was glad when we got throughthis with no worse mishap than a stumble from Tam which caused thelantern door to fly open and the candle to go out. We did not stop torelight it, but scrambled down the screes till we came to the longslabs of reddish rock which abutted on the beach. We could not see thetrack, so we gave up the business of scouts, and dropped quietly overthe big boulder and into the crinkle of cliff which we called our cave. 

There was nobody there, so we relit the lantern and examined ourproperties. Two or three fishing-rods for the burn, much damaged byweather; some sea-lines on a dry shelf of rock; a couple of woodenboxes; a pile of driftwood for fires, and a heap of quartz in which wethought we had found veins of gold--such was the modest furnishing ofour den. To this I must add some broken clay pipes, with which we madebelieve to imitate our elders, smoking a foul mixture of coltsfootleaves and brown paper. The band was in session, so following ourritual we sent out a picket. Tam was deputed to go round the edge ofthe cliff from which the shore was visible, and report if the coast wasclear. 

He returned in three minutes, his eyes round with amazement in thelantern light. 'There's a fire on the sands, ' he repeated, 'and a manbeside it. '

Here was news indeed. Without a word we made for the open, Archiefirst, and Tam, who had seized and shuttered his lantern, coming last. We crawled to the edge of the cliff and peered round, and there sureenough, on the hard bit of sand which the tide had left by the burnmouth, was a twinkle of light and a dark figure. 

The moon was rising, and besides there was that curious sheen from thesea which you will often notice in spring. The glow was maybe ahundred yards distant, a little spark of fire I could have put in mycap, and, from its crackling and smoke, composed of dry seaweed andhalf-green branches from the burnside thickets. A man's figure stoodnear it, and as we looked it moved round and round the fire in circleswhich first of all widened and then contracted. 

The sight was so unexpected, so beyond the beat of our experience, thatwe were all a little scared. What could this strange being want with afire at half-past eight of an April Sabbath night on the Dyve Burnsands? We discussed the thing in whispers behind a boulder, but noneof us had any solution. 'Belike he's come ashore in a boat, ' saidArchie. 'He's maybe a foreigner. ' But I pointed out that, from thetracks which Archie himself had found, the man must have come overlanddown the cliffs. Tam was clear he was a madman, and was forwithdrawing promptly from the whole business. 

But some spell kept our feet tied there in that silent world of sandand moon and sea. I remember looking back and seeing the solemn, frowning faces of the cliffs, and feeling somehow shut in with thisunknown being in a strange union. What kind of errand had brought thisinterloper into our territory? For a wonder I was less afraid thancurious. I wanted to get to the heart of the matter, and to discoverwhat the man was up to with his fire and his circles. 

The same thought must have been in Archie's head, for he dropped on hisbelly and began to crawl softly seawards. I followed, and Tam, withsundry complaints, crept after my heels. Between the cliffs and thefire lay some sixty yards of debris and boulders above the level of allbut the high spring tides. Beyond lay a string of seaweedy pools andthen the hard sands of the burnfoot. There was excellent cover amongthe big stones, and apart from the distance and the dim light, the manby the fire was too preoccupied in his task to keep much look-outtowards the land. I remember thinking he had chosen his place well, for save from the sea he could not be seen. The cliffs are so undercutthat unless a watcher on the coast were on their extreme edge he wouldnot see the burnfoot sands. 

Archie, the skilled tracker, was the one who all but betrayed us. Hisknee slipped on the seaweed, and he rolled off a boulder, bringing downwith him a clatter of small stones. We lay as still as mice, in terrorlest the man should have heard the noise and have come to look for thecause. By-and-by when I ventured to raise my head above a flat-toppedstone I saw that he was undisturbed. The fire still burned, and he waspacing round it. On the edge of the pools was an outcrop of redsandstone much fissured by the sea. Here was an excellentvantage-ground, and all three of us curled behind it, with our eyesjust over the edge. The man was not twenty yards off, and I could seeclearly what manner of fellow he was. For one thing he was huge ofsize, or so he seemed to me in the half-light. He wore nothing but ashirt and trousers, and I could hear by the flap of his feet on thesand that he was barefoot. 

Suddenly Tam Dyke gave a gasp of astonishment. 'Gosh, it's the blackminister!' he said. 

It was indeed a black man, as we saw when the moon came out of a cloud. His head was on his breast, and he walked round the fire with measured, regular steps. At intervals he would stop and raise both hands to thesky, and bend his body in the direction of the moon. But he neveruttered a word. 

'It's magic, ' said Archie. 'He's going to raise Satan. We must bidehere and see what happens, for he'll grip us if we try to go back. Themoon's ower high. '

The procession continued as if to some slow music. I had been in nofear of the adventure back there by our cave; but now that I saw thething from close at hand, my courage began to ebb. There was somethingdesperately uncanny about this great negro, who had shed his clericalgarments, and was now practising some strange magic alone by the sea. I had no doubt it was the black art, for there was that in the air andthe scene which spelled the unlawful. As we watched, the circlesstopped, and the man threw something on the fire. A thick smoke roseof which we could feel the aromatic scent, and when it was gone theflame burned with a silvery blueness like moonlight. Still no soundcame from the minister, but he took something from his belt, and beganto make odd markings in the sand between the inner circle and the fire. As he turned, the moon gleamed on the implement, and we saw it was agreat knife. 

We were now scared in real earnest. Here were we, three boys, at nightin a lonely place a few yards from a savage with a knife. The adventurewas far past my liking, and even the intrepid Archie was having qualms, if I could judge from his set face. As for Tam, his teeth werechattering like a threshing-mill. 

Suddenly I felt something soft and warm on the rock at my right hand. I felt again, and, lo! it was the man's clothes. There were his bootsand socks, his minister's coat and his minister's hat. 

This made the predicament worse, for if we waited till he finished hisrites we should for certain be found by him. At the same time, toreturn over the boulders in the bright moonlight seemed an equally sureway to discovery. I whispered to Archie, who was for waiting a littlelonger. 'Something may turn up, ' he said. It was always his way. 

I do not know what would have turned up, for we had no chance oftesting it. The situation had proved too much for the nerves of TamDyke. As the man turned towards us in his bowings and bendings, Tamsuddenly sprang to his feet and shouted at him a piece of schoolboyrudeness then fashionable in Kirkcaple. 

'Wha called ye partan-face, my bonny man?' Then, clutching hislantern, he ran for dear life, while Archie and I raced at his heels. As I turned I had a glimpse of a huge figure, knife in hand, boundingtowards us. 

Though I only saw it in the turn of a head, the face stamped itselfindelibly upon my mind. It was black, black as ebony, but it wasdifferent from the ordinary negro. There were no thick lips and flatnostrils; rather, if I could trust my eyes, the nose was high-bridged, and the lines of the mouth sharp and firm. But it was distorted intoan expression of such a devilish fury and amazement that my heartbecame like water. 

We had a start, as I have said, of some twenty or thirty yards. Amongthe boulders we were not at a great disadvantage, for a boy can flitquickly over them, while a grown man must pick his way. Archie, asever, kept his wits the best of us. 'Make straight for the burn, ' heshouted in a hoarse whisper; we'll beat him on the slope. '

We passed the boulders and slithered over the outcrop of red rock andthe patches of sea-pink till we reached the channel of the Dyve water, which flows gently among pebbles after leaving the gully. Here for thefirst time I looked back and saw nothing. I stopped involuntarily, andthat halt was nearly my undoing. For our pursuer had reached the burnbefore us, but lower down, and was coming up its bank to cut us off. 

At most times I am a notable coward, and in these days I was still moreof one, owing to a quick and easily-heated imagination. But now Ithink I did a brave thing, though more by instinct than resolution. Archie was running first, and had already splashed through the burn;Tam came next, just about to cross, and the black man was almost at hiselbow. Another second and Tam would have been in his clutches had Inot yelled out a warning and made straight up the bank of the burn. Tam fell into the pool--I could hear his spluttering cry--but he gotacross; for I heard Archie call to him, and the two vanished into thethicket which clothes all the left bank of the gully. The pursuer, seeing me on his own side of the water, followed straight on; andbefore I knew it had become a race between the two of us. 

I was hideously frightened, but not without hope, for the screes andshelves of this right side of the gully were known to me from many aday's exploring. I was light on my feet and uncommonly sound in wind, being by far the best long-distance runner in Kirkcaple. If I couldonly keep my lead till I reached a certain corner I knew of, I couldoutwit my enemy; for it was possible from that place to make a detourbehind a waterfall and get into a secret path of ours among the bushes. I flew up the steep screes, not daring to look round; but at the top, where the rocks begin, I had a glimpse of my pursuer. The man couldrun. Heavy in build though he was he was not six yards behind me, andI could see the white of his eyes and the red of his gums. I sawsomething else--a glint of white metal in his hand. He still had hisknife. 

Fear sent me up the rocks like a seagull, and I scrambled and leaped, making for the corner I knew of. Something told me that the pursuitwas slackening, and for a moment I halted to look round. A second timea halt was nearly the end of me. A great stone flew through the air, and took the cliff an inch from my head, half-blinding me withsplinters. And now I began to get angry. I pulled myself into cover, skirted a rock till I came to my corner, and looked back for the enemy. There he was scrambling by the way I had come, and making a prodigiousclatter among the stones. I picked up a loose bit of rock and hurledit with all my force in his direction. It broke before it reached him, but a considerable lump, to my joy, took him full in the face. Then myterrors revived. I slipped behind the waterfall and was soon in thethicket, and toiling towards the top. 

I think this last bit was the worst in the race, for my strength wasfailing, and I seemed to hear those horrid steps at my heels. My heartwas in my mouth as, careless of my best clothes, I tore through thehawthorn bushes. Then I struck the path and, to my relief, came onArchie and Tam, who were running slowly in desperate anxiety about myfate. We then took hands and soon reached the top of the gully. 

For a second we looked back. The pursuit had ceased, and far down theburn we could hear the sounds as of some one going back to the sands. 

'Your face is bleeding, Davie. Did he get near enough to hit you?'Archie asked. 

'He hit me with a stone. But I gave him better. He's got a bleedingnose to remember this night by. '

We did not dare take the road by the links, but made for the nearesthuman habitation. This was a farm about half a mile inland, and whenwe reached it we lay down by the stack-yard gate and panted. 

'I've lost my lantern, ' said Tam. 'The big black brute! See if Idon't tell my father. '

'Ye'll do nothing of the kind, ' said Archie fiercely. 'He knowsnothing about us and can't do us any harm. But if the story got outand he found out who we were, he'd murder the lot of US. '

He made us swear secrecy, which we were willing enough to do, seeingvery clearly the sense in his argument. Then we struck the highroadand trotted back at our best pace to Kirkcaple, fear of our familiesgradually ousting fear of pursuit. In our excitement Archie and Iforgot about our Sabbath hats, reposing quietly below a whin bush onthe links. 

We were not destined to escape without detection. As ill luck wouldhave it, Mr Murdoch had been taken ill with the stomach-ache after thesecond psalm, and the congregation had been abruptly dispersed. Mymother had waited for me at the church door, and, seeing no signs ofher son, had searched the gallery. Then the truth came out, and, had Ibeen only for a mild walk on the links, retribution would haveovertaken my truantry. But to add to this I arrived home with ascratched face, no hat, and several rents in my best trousers. I waswell cuffed and sent to bed, with the promise of full-dresschastisement when my father should come home in the morning. 

My father arrived before breakfast next day, and I was duly and soundlywhipped. I set out for school with aching bones to add to the usualdepression of Monday morning. At the corner of the Nethergate I fellin with Archie, who was staring at a trap carrying two men which wascoming down the street. It was the Free Church minister--he had marrieda rich wife and kept a horse--driving the preacher of yesterday to therailway station. Archie and I were in behind a doorpost in atwinkling, so that we could see in safety the last of our enemy. He wasdressed in minister's clothes, with a heavy fur-coat and a brand newyellow-leather Gladstone bag. He was talking loudly as he passed, andthe Free Church minister seemed to be listening attentively. I heardhis deep voice saying something about the 'work of God in this place. 'But what I noticed specially--and the sight made me forget my achinghinder parts--was that he had a swollen eye, and two strips ofsticking-plaster on his cheek. 

CHAPTER II

FURTH! FORTUNE!

In this plain story of mine there will be so many wild doings ere theend is reached, that I beg my reader's assent to a prosaic digression. I will tell briefly the things which happened between my sight of theman on the Kirkcaple sands and my voyage to Africa. I continued forthree years at the burgh school, where my progress was less notable inmy studies than in my sports. One by one I saw my companions pass outof idle boyhood and be set to professions. Tam Dyke on two occasionsran off to sea in the Dutch schooners which used to load with coal inour port; and finally his father gave him his will, and he wasapprenticed to the merchant service. Archie Leslie, who was a year myelder, was destined for the law, so he left Kirkcaple for an Edinburghoffice, where he was also to take out classes at the college. Iremained on at school till I sat alone by myself in the highestclass--a position of little dignity and deep loneliness. I had grown atall, square-set lad, and my prowess at Rugby football was renownedbeyond the parishes of Kirkcaple and Portincross. To my father I fearI was a disappointment. He had hoped for something in his son morebookish and sedentary, more like his gentle, studious self. 

On one thing I was determined: I should follow a learned profession. The fear of being sent to an office, like so many of my schoolfellows, inspired me to the little progress I ever made in my studies. I chosethe ministry, not, I fear, out of any reverence for the sacred calling, but because my father had followed it before me. Accordingly I wassent at the age of sixteen for a year's finishing at the High School ofEdinburgh, and the following winter began my Arts course at theuniversity. 

If Fate had been kinder to me, I think I might have become a scholar. At any rate I was just acquiring a taste for philosophy and the deadlanguages when my father died suddenly of a paralytic shock, and I hadto set about earning a living. 

My mother was left badly off, for my poor father had never been able tosave much from his modest stipend. When all things were settled, itturned out that she might reckon on an income of about fifty pounds ayear. This was not enough to live on, however modest the household, and certainly not enough to pay for the colleging of a son. At thispoint an uncle of hers stepped forward with a proposal. He was awell-to-do bachelor, alone in the world, and he invited my mother tolive with him and take care of his house. For myself he proposed apost in some mercantile concern, for he had much influence in thecircles of commerce. There was nothing for it but to acceptgratefully. We sold our few household goods, and moved to his gloomyhouse in Dundas Street. A few days later he announced at dinner thathe had found for me a chance which might lead to better things. 

'You see, Davie, ' he explained, 'you don't know the rudiments ofbusiness life. There's no house in the country that would take you inexcept as a common clerk, and you would never earn much more than ahundred pounds a year all your days. If you want to better your futureyou must go abroad, where white men are at a premium. By the mercy ofProvidence I met yesterday an old friend, Thomas Mackenzie, who wasseeing his lawyer about an estate he is bidding for. He is the head ofone of the biggest trading and shipping concerns in theworld--Mackenzie, Mure, and Oldmeadows--you may have heard the name. Among other things he has half the stores in South Africa, where theysell everything from Bibles to fish-hooks. Apparently they like menfrom home to manage the stores, and to make a long story short, when Iput your case to him, he promised you a place. I had a wire from himthis morning confirming the offer. You are to be assistant storekeeperat--' (my uncle fumbled in his pocket, and then read from the yellowslip) 'at Blaauwildebeestefontein. There's a mouthful for you. '

In this homely way I first heard of a place which was to be the theatreof so many strange doings. 

'It's a fine chance for you, ' my uncle continued. 'You'll only beassistant at first, but when you have learned your job you'll have astore of your own. Mackenzie's people will pay you three hundredpounds a year, and when you get a store you'll get a percentage onsales. It lies with you to open up new trade among the natives. Ihear that Blaauw--something or other, is in the far north of theTransvaal, and I see from the map that it is in a wild, hilly country. You may find gold or diamonds up there, and come back and buyPortincross House. ' My uncle rubbed his hands and smiled cheerily. 

Truth to tell I was both pleased and sad. If a learned profession wasdenied me I vastly preferred a veld store to an Edinburgh office stool. Had I not been still under the shadow of my father's death I might havewelcomed the chance of new lands and new folk. As it was, I felt theloneliness of an exile. That afternoon I walked on the Braid Hills, andwhen I saw in the clear spring sunlight the coast of Fife, andremembered Kirkcaple and my boyish days, I could have found it in me tosit down and cry. 

A fortnight later I sailed. My mother bade me a tearful farewell, andmy uncle, besides buying me an outfit and paying my passage money, gaveme a present of twenty sovereigns. 'You'll not be your mother's son, Davie, ' were his last words, 'if you don't come home with it multipliedby a thousand. ' I thought at the time that I would give more thantwenty thousand pounds to be allowed to bide on the windy shores ofForth. 

I sailed from Southampton by an intermediate steamer, and went steerageto save expense. Happily my acute homesickness was soon forgotten inanother kind of malady. It blew half a gale before we were out of theChannel, and by the time we had rounded Ushant it was as dirty weatheras ever I hope to see. I lay mortal sick in my bunk, unable to bearthe thought of food, and too feeble to lift my head. I wished I hadnever left home, but so acute was my sickness that if some one hadthere and then offered me a passage back or an immediate landing onshore I should have chosen the latter. 

It was not till we got into the fair-weather seas around Madeira that Irecovered enough to sit on deck and observe my fellow-passengers. There were some fifty of us in the steerage, mostly wives and childrengoing to join relations, with a few emigrant artisans and farmers. Iearly found a friend in a little man with a yellow beard andspectacles, who sat down beside me and remarked on the weather in astrong Scotch accent. He turned out to be a Mr Wardlaw from Aberdeen, who was going out to be a schoolmaster. He was a man of goodeducation, who had taken a university degree, and had taught for someyears as an under-master in a school in his native town. But the eastwinds had damaged his lungs, and he had been glad to take the chance ofa poorly paid country school in the veld. When I asked him where hewas going I was amazed to be told, 'Blaauwildebeestefontein. '

Mr Wardlaw was a pleasant little man, with a sharp tongue but acheerful temper. He laboured all day at primers of the Dutch andKaffir languages, but in the evening after supper he would walk with meon the after-deck and discuss the future. Like me, he knew nothing ofthe land he was going to, but he was insatiably curious, and heaffected me with his interest. 'This place, Blaauwildebeestefontein, 'he used to say, 'is among the Zoutpansberg mountains, and as far as Ican see, not above ninety miles from the railroad. It looks from themap a well-watered country, and the Agent-General in London told me itwas healthy or I wouldn't have taken the job. It seems we'll be in theheart of native reserves up there, for here's a list of chiefs--'Mpefu, Sikitola, Majinje, Magata; and there are no white men living to theeast of us because of the fever. The name means the "spring of theblue wildebeeste, " whatever fearsome animal that may be. It soundslike a place for adventure, Mr Crawfurd. You'll exploit the pockets ofthe black men and I'll see what I can do with their minds. ' There wasanother steerage passenger whom I could not help observing because ofmy dislike of his appearance. He, too, was a little man, by nameHenriques, and in looks the most atrocious villain I have ever clappedeyes on. He had a face the colour of French mustard--a sort of dirtygreen--and bloodshot, beady eyes with the whites all yellowed withfever. He had waxed moustaches, and a curious, furtive way of walkingand looking about him. We of the steerage were careless in our dress, but he was always clad in immaculate white linen, with pointed, yellowshoes to match his complexion. He spoke to no one, but smoked longcheroots all day in the stern of the ship, and studied a greasypocket-book. Once I tripped over him in the dark, and he turned on mewith a snarl and an oath. I was short enough with him in return, andhe looked as if he could knife me. 

'I'll wager that fellow has been a slave-driver in his time, ' I told MrWardlaw, who said, 'God pity his slaves, then. '

And now I come to the incident which made the rest of the voyage passall too soon for me, and foreshadowed the strange events which were tocome. It was the day after we crossed the Line, and the first-classpassengers were having deck sports. A tug-of-war had been arrangedbetween the three classes, and a half-dozen of the heaviest fellows inthe steerage, myself included, were invited to join. It was a blazinghot afternoon, but on the saloon deck there were awnings and a coolwind blowing from the bows. The first-class beat the second easily, and after a tremendous struggle beat the steerage also. Then theyregaled us with iced-drinks and cigars to celebrate the victory. 

I was standing at the edge of the crowd of spectators, when my eyecaught a figure which seemed to have little interest in our games. Alarge man in clerical clothes was sitting on a deck-chair reading abook. There was nothing novel about the stranger, and I cannot explainthe impulse which made me wish to see his face. I moved a few steps upthe deck, and then I saw that his skin was black. I went a littlefarther, and suddenly he raised his eyes from his book and lookedround. It was the face of the man who had terrified me years ago on theKirkcaple shore. 

I spent the rest of the day in a brown study. It was clear to me thatsome destiny had prearranged this meeting. Here was this mantravelling prosperously as a first-class passenger with all theappurtenances of respectability. I alone had seen him invoking strangegods in the moonlight, I alone knew of the devilry in his heart, and Icould not but believe that some day or other there might be virtue inthat knowledge. 

The second engineer and I had made friends, so I got him to consult thepurser's list for the name of my acquaintance. He was down as the Rev. John Laputa, and his destination was Durban. The next day being Sunday, who should appear to address us steerage passengers but the blackminister. He was introduced by the captain himself, a notably piousman, who spoke of the labours of his brother in the dark places ofheathendom. Some of us were hurt in our pride in being made the targetof a black man's oratory. Especially Mr Henriques, whose skin spoke ofthe tar-brush, protested with oaths against the insult. Finally he satdown on a coil of rope, and spat scornfully in the vicinity of thepreacher. 

For myself I was intensely curious, and not a little impressed. Theman's face was as commanding as his figure, and his voice was the mostwonderful thing that ever came out of human mouth. It was full andrich, and gentle, with the tones of a great organ. He had none of thesquat and preposterous negro lineaments, but a hawk nose like an Arab, dark flashing eyes, and a cruel and resolute mouth. He was black as myhat, but for the rest he might have sat for a figure of a Crusader. Ido not know what the sermon was about, though others told me that itwas excellent. All the time I watched him, and kept saying to myself, 'You hunted me up the Dyve Burn, but I bashed your face for you. 'Indeed, I thought I could see faint scars on his cheek. 

The following night I had toothache, and could not sleep. It was toohot to breathe under cover, so I got up, lit a pipe, and walked on theafter-deck to ease the pain. The air was very still, save for thewhish of water from the screws and the steady beat of the engines. Above, a great yellow moon looked down on me, and a host of pale stars. 

The moonlight set me remembering the old affair of the Dyve Burn, andmy mind began to run on the Rev. John Laputa. It pleased me to thinkthat I was on the track of some mystery of which I alone had the clue. I promised myself to search out the antecedents of the minister when Igot to Durban, for I had a married cousin there, who might knowsomething of his doings. Then, as I passed by the companion-way to thelower deck, I heard voices, and peeping over the rail, I saw two mensitting in the shadow just beyond the hatch of the hold. 

I thought they might be two of the sailors seeking coolness on the opendeck, when something in the figure of one of them made me look again. The next second I had slipped back and stolen across the after-deck toa point just above them. For the two were the black minister and thatugly yellow villain, Henriques. 

I had no scruples about eavesdropping, but I could make nothing oftheir talk. They spoke low, and in some tongue which may have beenKaffir or Portuguese, but was in any case unknown to me. I lay, cramped and eager, for many minutes, and was just getting sick of itwhen a familiar name caught my ear. Henriques said something in whichI caught the word 'Blaauwildebeestefontein. ' I listened intently, andthere could be no mistake. The minister repeated the name, and for thenext few minutes it recurred often in their talk. I went backstealthily to bed, having something to make me forget my aching tooth. First of all, Laputa and Henriques were allies. Second, the place Iwas bound for had something to do with their schemes. 

I said nothing to Mr Wardlaw, but spent the next week in the assiduoustoil of the amateur detective. I procured some maps and books from myfriend, the second engineer, and read all I could aboutBlaauwildebeestefontein. Not that there was much to learn; but Iremember I had quite a thrill when I discovered from the chart of theship's run one day that we were in the same latitude as thatuncouthly-named spot. I found out nothing, however, about Henriques orthe Rev. John Laputa. The Portuguese still smoked in the stern, andthumbed his greasy notebook; the minister sat in his deck-chair, andread heavy volumes from the ship's library. Though I watched everynight, I never found them again together. 

At Cape Town Henriques went ashore and did not return. The minister didnot budge from the ship the three days we lay in port, and, indeed, itseemed to me that he kept his cabin. At any rate I did not see hisgreat figure on deck till we were tossing in the choppy seas round CapeAgulhas. Sea-sickness again attacked me, and with short lulls duringour stoppages at Port Elizabeth and East London, I lay wretchedly in mybunk till we sighted the bluffs of Durban harbour. 

Here it was necessary for me to change my ship, for in the interests ofeconomy I was going by sea to Delagoa Bay, and thence by the cheaprailway journey into the Transvaal. I sought out my cousin, who livedin a fine house on the Berea, and found a comfortable lodging for thethree days of my stay there. I made inquiries about Mr Laputa, butcould hear nothing. There was no native minister of that name, said mycousin, who was a great authority on all native questions. I describedthe man, but got no further light. No one had seen or heard of such abeing, 'unless, ' said my cousin, 'he is one of those American Ethiopianrascals. '

My second task was to see the Durban manager of the firm which I hadundertaken to serve. He was a certain Mr Colles, a big fat man, whowelcomed me in his shirt-sleeves, with a cigar in his mouth. Hereceived me pleasantly, and took me home to dinner with him. 

'Mr Mackenzie has written about you, ' he said. 'I'll be quite frankwith you, Mr Crawfurd. The firm is not exactly satisfied about the waybusiness has been going lately at Blaauwildebeestefontein. There's agrand country up there, and a grand opportunity for the man who cantake it. Japp, who is in charge, is an old man now and past his best, but he has been long with the firm, and we don't want to hurt hisfeelings. When he goes, which must be pretty soon, you'll have a goodchance of the place, if you show yourself an active young fellow. '

He told me a great deal more about Blaauwildebeestefontein, principallytrading details. Incidentally he let drop that Mr Japp had had severalassistants in the last few years. I asked him why they had left, andhe hesitated. 

'It's a lonely place, and they didn't like the life. You see, thereare few white men near, and young fellows want society. Theycomplained, and were moved on. But the firm didn't think the more ofthem. '

I told him I had come out with the new schoolmaster. 

'Yes, ' he said reflectively, 'the school. That's been vacant prettyoften lately. What sort of fellow is this Wardlaw? Will he stay, Iwonder?'

'From all accounts, ' I said, 'Blaauwildebeestefontein does not seempopular. '

'It isn't. That's why we've got you out from home. The colonial-borndoesn't find it fit in with his idea of comfort. He wants society, andhe doesn't like too many natives. There's nothing up there but nativesand a few back-veld Dutchmen with native blood in them. You fellowsfrom home are less set on an easy life, or you wouldn't be here. '

There was something in Mr Colles's tone which made me risk anotherquestion. 

'What's the matter with the place? There must be more wrong with itthan loneliness to make everybody clear out. I have taken on this job, and I mean to stick to it, so you needn't be afraid to tell me. '

The manager looked at me sharply. 'That's the way to talk, my lad. You look as if you had a stiff back, so I'll be frank with you. Thereis something about the place. It gives the ordinary man the jumps. What it is, I don't know, and the men who come back don't knowthemselves. I want you to find out for me. You'll be doing the firman enormous service if you can get on the track of it. It may be thenatives, or it may be the takhaars, or it may be something else. Onlyold Japp can stick it out, and he's too old and doddering to care aboutmoving. I want you to keep your eyes skinned, and write privately tome if you want any help. You're not out here for your health, I cansee, and here's a chance for you to get your foot on the ladder. 

'Remember, I'm your friend, ' he said to me again at the garden gate. 'Take my advice and lie very low. Don't talk, don't meddle with drink, learn all you can of the native jabber, but don't let on you understanda word. You're sure to get on the track of something. Good-bye, myboy, ' and he waved a fat hand to me. 

That night I embarked on a cargo-boat which was going round the coastto Delagoa Bay. It is a small world--at least for us far-wanderingScots. For who should I find when I got on board but my old friend TamDyke, who was second mate on the vessel? We wrung each other's hands, and I answered, as best I could, his questions about Kirkcaple. I hadsupper with him in the cabin, and went on deck to see the moorings cast. 

Suddenly there was a bustle on the quay, and a big man with a handbagforced his way up the gangway. The men who were getting ready to castoff tried to stop him, but he elbowed his way forward, declaring hemust see the captain. Tam went up to him and asked civilly if he had apassage taken. He admitted he had not, but said he would make it rightin two minutes with the captain himself. The Rev. John Laputa, forsome reason of his own, was leaving Durban with more haste than he hadentered it. 

I do not know what passed with the captain, but the minister got hispassage right enough, and Tam was even turned out of his cabin to makeroom for him. This annoyed my friend intensely. 

'That black brute must be made of money, for he paid through the nosefor this, or I'm a Dutchman. My old man doesn't take to his blackbrethren any more than I do. Hang it all, what are we coming to, whenwe're turning into a blooming cargo boat for niggers?'

I had all too little of Tam's good company, for on the afternoon of thesecond day we reached the little town of Lourenco Marques. This was myfinal landing in Africa, and I mind how eagerly I looked at the low, green shores and the bush-covered slopes of the mainland. We werelanded from boats while the ship lay out in the bay, and Tam cameashore with me to spend the evening. By this time I had lost everyremnant of homesickness. I had got a job before me which promisedbetter things than colleging at Edinburgh, and I was as keen to get upcountry now as I had been loth to leave England. My mind being full ofmysteries, I scanned every Portuguese loafer on the quay as if he hadbeen a spy, and when Tam and I had had a bottle of Collates in a cafe Ifelt that at last I had got to foreign parts and a new world. 

Tam took me to supper with a friend of his, a Scot by the name ofAitken, who was landing-agent for some big mining house on the Rand. He hailed from Fife and gave me a hearty welcome, for he had heard myfather preach in his young days. Aitken was a strong, broad-shoulderedfellow who had been a sergeant in the Gordons, and during the war hehad done secret-service work in Delagoa. He had hunted, too, andtraded up and down Mozambique, and knew every dialect of the Kaffirs. He asked me where I was bound for, and when I told him there was thesame look in his eyes as I had seen with the Durban manager. 

'You're going to a rum place, Mr Crawfurd, ' he said. 

'So I'm told. Do you know anything about it? You're not the first whohas looked queer when I've spoken the name. '

'I've never been there, ' he said, 'though I've been pretty near it fromthe Portuguese side. That's the funny thing aboutBlaauwildebeestefontein. Everybody has heard of it, and nobody knowsit. '

'I wish you would tell me what you have heard. '

'Well, the natives are queer up thereaways. There's some kind of aholy place which every Kaffir from Algoa Bay to the Zambesi and awaybeyond knows about. When I've been hunting in the bush-veld I've oftenmet strings of Kaffirs from hundreds of miles distant, and they've allbeen going or coming from Blaauwildebeestefontein. It's like Mecca tothe Mohammedans, a place they go to on pilgrimage. I've heard of anold man up there who is believed to be two hundred years old. Anyway, there's some sort of great witch or wizard living in the mountains. '

Aitken smoked in silence for a time; then he said, 'I'll tell youanother thing. I believe there's a diamond mine. I've often meant togo up and look for it. '

Tam and I pressed him to explain, which he did slowly after his fashion. 

'Did you ever hear of I. D. B. --illicit diamond broking?' he asked me. 'Well, it's notorious that the Kaffirs on the diamond fields get awaywith a fair number of stones, and they are bought by Jew and Portuguesetraders. It's against the law to deal in them, and when I was in theintelligence here we used to have a lot of trouble with the vermin. But I discovered that most of the stones came from natives in one partof the country--more or less round Blaauwildebeestefontein--and I seeno reason to think that they had all been stolen from Kimberley or thePremier. Indeed some of the stones I got hold of were quite differentfrom any I had seen in South Africa before. I shouldn't wonder if theKaffirs in the Zoutpansberg had struck some rich pipe, and had thesense to keep quiet about it. Maybe some day I'll take a run up to seeyou and look into the matter. '

After this the talk turned on other topics till Tam, still nursing hisgrievance, asked a question on his own account. 'Did you ever comeacross a great big native parson called Laputa? He came on board as wewere leaving Durban, and I had to turn out of my cabin for him. ' Tamdescribed him accurately but vindictively, and added that 'he was surehe was up to no good. '

Aitken shook his head. 'No, I don't know the man. You say he landedhere? Well, I'll keep a look-out for him. Big native parsons are notso common. '

Then I asked about Henriques, of whom Tam knew nothing. I described hisface, his clothes, and his habits. Aitken laughed uproariously. 

'Tut, my man, most of the subjects of his Majesty the King of Portugalwould answer to that description. If he's a rascal, as you think, youmay be certain he's in the I. D. B. Business, and if I'm right aboutBlaauwildebeestefontein you'll likely have news of him there some timeor other. Drop me a line if he comes, and I'll get on to his record. '

I saw Tam off in the boat with a fairly satisfied mind. I was going toa place with a secret, and I meant to find it out. The natives roundBlaauwildebeestefontein were queer, and diamonds were suspectedsomewhere in the neighbourhood. 

Henriques had something to do with the place, and so had the Rev. JohnLaputa, about whom I knew one strange thing. So did Tam by the way, but he had not identified his former pursuer, and I had told himnothing. I was leaving two men behind me, Colles at Durban and Aitkenat Lourenco Marques, who would help me if trouble came. Things wereshaping well for some kind of adventure. 

The talk with Aitken had given Tam an inkling of my thoughts. His lastwords to me were an appeal to let him know if there was any fun going. 

'I can see you're in for a queer job. Promise to let me hear from youif there's going to be a row, and I'll come up country, though I shouldhave to desert the service. Send us a letter to the agents at Durbanin case we should be in port. You haven't forgotten the Dyve Burn, Davie?'

CHAPTER III

BLAAUWILDEBEESTEFONTEIN

The Pilgrim's Progress had been the Sabbath reading of my boyhood, andas I came in sight of Blaauwildebeestefontein a passage ran in my head. It was that which tells how Christian and Hopeful, after many perils ofthe way, came to the Delectable Mountains, from which they had aprospect of Canaan. After many dusty miles by rail, and a wearifuljourney in a Cape-cart through arid plains and dry and stony gorges, Ihad come suddenly into a haven of green. The Spring of the BlueWildebeeste was a clear rushing mountain torrent, which swirled overblue rocks into deep fern-fringed pools. All around was a tableland oflush grass with marigolds and arum lilies instead of daisies andbuttercups. Thickets of tall trees dotted the hill slopes and patchedthe meadows as if some landscape-gardener had been at work on them. Beyond, the glen fell steeply to the plains, which ran out in a fainthaze to the horizon. To north and south I marked the sweep of theBerg, now rising high to a rocky peak and now stretching in a levelrampart of blue. On the very edge of the plateau where the road dippedfor the descent stood the shanties of Blaauwildebeestefontein. Thefresh hill air had exhilarated my mind, and the aromatic scent of theevening gave the last touch of intoxication. Whatever serpent mightlurk in it, it was a veritable Eden I had come to. 

Blaauwildebeestefontein had no more than two buildings of civilizedshape; the store, which stood on the left side of the river, and theschoolhouse opposite. For the rest, there were some twenty nativehuts, higher up the slope, of the type which the Dutch call rondavels. The schoolhouse had a pretty garden, but the store stood bare in apatch of dust with a few outhouses and sheds beside it. Round the doorlay a few old ploughs and empty barrels, and beneath a solitary bluegum was a wooden bench with a rough table. Native children played inthe dust, and an old Kaffir squatted by the wall. 

My few belongings were soon lifted from the Cape-cart, and I enteredthe shop. It was the ordinary pattern of up-country store--a bar inone corner with an array of bottles, and all round the walls tins ofcanned food and the odds and ends of trade. The place was empty, and acloud of flies buzzed over the sugar cask. 

Two doors opened at the back, and I chose the one to the right. Ifound myself in a kind of kitchen with a bed in one corner, and alitter of dirty plates on the table. On the bed lay a man, snoringheavily. I went close to him, and found an old fellow with a baldhead, clothed only in a shirt and trousers. His face was red andswollen, and his breath came in heavy grunts. A smell of bad whiskyhung over everything. I had no doubt that this was Mr Peter Japp, mysenior in the store. One reason for the indifferent trade atBlaauwildebeestefontein was very clear to me: the storekeeper was a sot. 

I went back to the shop and tried the other door. It was a bedroomtoo, but clean and pleasant. A little native girl--Zeeta, I found theycalled her--was busy tidying it up, and when I entered she dropped me acurtsy. 'This is your room, Baas, ' she said in very good English inreply to my question. The child had been well trained somewhere, forthere was a cracked dish full of oleander blossom on the drawers'-head, and the pillow-slips on the bed were as clean as I could wish. Shebrought me water to wash, and a cup of strong tea, while I carried mybaggage indoors and paid the driver of the cart. Then, having cleanedmyself and lit a pipe, I walked across the road to see Mr Wardlaw. 

I found the schoolmaster sitting under his own fig-tree reading one ofhis Kaffir primers. Having come direct by rail from Cape Town, he hadbeen a week in the place, and ranked as the second oldest whiteresident. 

'Yon's a bonny chief you've got, Davie, ' were his first words. 'Forthree days he's been as fou as the Baltic. '

I cannot pretend that the misdeeds of Mr Japp greatly annoyed me. Ihad the reversion of his job, and if he chose to play the fool it wasall in my interest. But the schoolmaster was depressed at the prospectof such company. 'Besides you and me, he's the only white man in theplace. It's a poor look-out on the social side. '

The school, it appeared, was the merest farce. There were only fivewhite children, belonging to Dutch farmers in the mountains. Thenative side was more flourishing, but the mission schools at thelocations got most of the native children in the neighbourhood. MrWardlaw's educational zeal ran high. He talked of establishing aworkshop and teaching carpentry and blacksmith's work, of which he knewnothing. He rhapsodized over the intelligence of his pupils andbemoaned his inadequate gift of tongues. 'You and I, Davie, ' he said, 'must sit down and grind at the business. It is to the interest ofboth of us. The Dutch is easy enough. It's a sort of kitchen dialectyou can learn in a fortnight. But these native languages are a stiffjob. Sesuto is the chief hereabouts, and I'm told once you've got thatit's easy to get the Zulu. Then there's the thing the Shangaansspeak--Baronga, I think they call it. I've got a Christian Kaffirliving up in one of the huts who comes every morning to talk to me foran hour. You'd better join me. '

I promised, and in the sweet-smelling dust crossed the road to thestore. Japp was still sleeping, so I got a bowl of mealie porridgefrom Zeeta and went to bed. 

Japp was sober next morning and made me some kind of apology. He hadchronic lumbago, he said, and 'to go on the bust' now and then was thebest cure for it. Then he proceeded to initiate me into my duties in atone of exaggerated friendliness. 'I took a fancy to you the first timeI clapped eyes on you, ' he said. 'You and me will be good friends, Crawfurd, I can see that. You're a spirited young fellow, and you'llstand no nonsense. The Dutch about here are a slim lot, and theKaffirs are slimmer. Trust no man, that's my motto. The firm knowthat, and I've had their confidence for forty years. '

The first day or two things went well enough. There was no doubt that, properly handled, a fine trade could be done inBlaauwildebeestefontein. The countryside was crawling with natives, and great strings used to come through from Shangaan territory on theway to the Rand mines. Besides, there was business to be done with theDutch farmers, especially with the tobacco, which I foresaw could beworked up into a profitable export. There was no lack of money either, and we had to give very little credit, though it was often asked for. I flung myself into the work, and in a few weeks had been all round thefarms and locations. At first Japp praised my energy, for it left himplenty of leisure to sit indoors and drink. But soon he grewsuspicious, for he must have seen that I was in a fair way to oust himaltogether. He was very anxious to know if I had seen Colles inDurban, and what the manager had said. 'I have letters, ' he told me ahundred times, 'from Mr Mackenzie himself praising me up to the skies. The firm couldn't get along without old Peter Japp, I can tell you. ' Ihad no wish to quarrel with the old man, so I listened politely to allhe said. But this did not propitiate him, and I soon found him sojealous as to be a nuisance. He was Colonial-born and was alwaysairing the fact. He rejoiced in my rawness, and when I made a blunderwould crow over it for hours. 'It's no good, Mr Crawfurd; you newchums from England may think yourselves mighty clever, but we men fromthe Old Colony can get ahead of you every time. In fifty years you'llmaybe learn a little about the country, but we know all about it beforewe start. ' He roared with laughter at my way of tying a voorslag, andhe made merry (no doubt with reason) on my management of a horse. Ikept my temper pretty well, but I own there were moments when I camenear to kicking Mr Japp. 

The truth is he was a disgusting old ruffian. His character was shownby his treatment of Zeeta. The poor child slaved all day and did twomen's work in keeping the household going. She was an orphan from amission station, and in Japp's opinion a creature without rights. Hence he never spoke to her except with a curse, and used to cuff herthin shoulders till my blood boiled. One day things became too muchfor my temper. Zeeta had spilled half a glass of Japp's whisky whiletidying up the room. He picked up a sjambok, and proceeded to beat herunmercifully till her cries brought me on the scene. I tore the whipfrom his hands, seized him by the scruff and flung him on a heap ofpotato sacks, where he lay pouring out abuse and shaking with rage. Then I spoke my mind. I told him that if anything of the sort happenedagain I would report it at once to Mr Colles at Durban. I added thatbefore making my report I would beat him within an inch of his degradedlife. After a time he apologized, but I could see that thenceforth heregarded me with deadly hatred. There was another thing I noticed aboutMr Japp. He might brag about his knowledge of how to deal withnatives, but to my mind his methods were a disgrace to a white man. Zeeta came in for oaths and blows, but there were other Kaffirs whom hetreated with a sort of cringing friendliness. A big black fellow wouldswagger into the shop, and be received by Japp as if he were hislong-lost brother. The two would collogue for hours; and though atfirst I did not understand the tongue, I could see that it was thewhite man who fawned and the black man who bullied. Once when japp wasaway one of these fellows came into the store as if it belonged to him, but he went out quicker than he entered. Japp complained afterwards ofmy behaviour. ''Mwanga is a good friend of mine, ' he said, 'and bringsus a lot of business. I'll thank you to be civil to him the nexttime. ' I replied very shortly that 'Mwanga or anybody else who did notmend his manners would feel the weight of my boot. 

The thing went on, and I am not sure that he did not give the Kaffirsdrink on the sly. At any rate, I have seen some very drunk natives onthe road between the locations and Blaauwildebeestefontein, and some ofthem I recognized as Japp's friends. I discussed the matter with MrWardlaw, who said, 'I believe the old villain has got some sort ofblack secret, and the natives know it, and have got a pull on him. 'And I was inclined to think he was right. 

By-and-by I began to feel the lack of company, for Wardlaw was so fullof his books that he was of little use as a companion. So I resolved toacquire a dog, and bought one from a prospector, who was stony-brokeand would have sold his soul for a drink. It was an enormous Boerhunting-dog, a mongrel in whose blood ran mastiff and bulldog andfoxhound, and Heaven knows what beside. In colour it was a kind ofbrindled red, and the hair on its back grew against the lie of the restof its coat. Some one had told me, or I may have read it, that a backlike this meant that a dog would face anything mortal, even to acharging lion, and it was this feature which first caught my fancy. The price I paid was ten shillings and a pair of boots, which I got atcost price from stock, and the owner departed with injunctions to me tobeware of the brute's temper. Colin--for so I named him--began hiscareer with me by taking the seat out of my breeches and frightening MrWardlaw into a tree. It took me a stubborn battle of a fortnight tobreak his vice, and my left arm to-day bears witness to the struggle. After that he became a second shadow, and woe betide the man who haddared to raise his hand to Colin's master. Japp declared that the dogwas a devil, and Colin repaid the compliment with a hearty dislike. 

With Colin, I now took to spending some of my ample leisure inexploring the fastnesses of the Berg. I had brought out a shot-gun ofmy own, and I borrowed a cheap Mauser sporting rifle from the store. Ihad been born with a good eye and a steady hand, and very soon I becamea fair shot with a gun and, I believe, a really fine shot with therifle. The sides of the Berg were full of quail and partridge and bushpheasant, and on the grassy plateau there was abundance of a bird notunlike our own blackcock, which the Dutch called korhaan. But the greatsport was to stalk bush-buck in the thickets, which is a game in whichthe hunter is at small advantage. I have been knocked down by awounded bush-buck ram, and but for Colin might have been badly damaged. Once, in a kloof not far from the Letaba, I killed a fine leopard, bringing him down with a single shot from a rocky shelf almost on thetop of Colin. His skin lies by my fireside as I write this tale. Butit was during the days I could spare for an expedition into the plainsthat I proved the great qualities of my dog. There we had nobler gameto follow--wildebeest and hartebeest, impala, and now and then akoodoo. At first I was a complete duffer, and shamed myself in Colin'seyes. But by-and-by I learned something of veld-craft: I learned howto follow spoor, how to allow for the wind, and stalk under cover. Then, when a shot had crippled the beast, Colin was on its track like aflash to pull it down. The dog had the nose of a retriever, the speedof a greyhound, and the strength of a bull-terrier. I blessed the daywhen the wandering prospector had passed the store. 

Colin slept at night at the foot of my bed, and it was he who led me tomake an important discovery. For I now became aware that I was beingsubjected to constant espionage. It may have been going on from thestart, but it was not till my third month at Blaauwildebeestefonteinthat I found it out. One night I was going to bed, when suddenly thebristles rose on the dog's back and he barked uneasily at the window. I had been standing in the shadow, and as I stepped to the window tolook out I saw a black face disappear below the palisade of thebackyard. The incident was trifling, but it put me on my guard. Thenext night I looked, but saw nothing. The third night I looked, andcaught a glimpse of a face almost pressed to the pane. Thereafter Iput up the shutters after dark, and shifted my bed to a part of theroom out of line with the window. 

It was the same out of doors. I would suddenly be conscious, as Iwalked on the road, that I was being watched. If I made as if to walkinto the roadside bush there would be a faint rustling, which told thatthe watcher had retired. The stalking was brilliantly done, for Inever caught a glimpse of one of the stalkers. Wherever I went--on theroad, on the meadows of the plateau, or on the rugged sides of theBerg--it was the same. I had silent followers, who betrayed themselvesnow and then by the crackling of a branch, and eyes were always lookingat me which I could not see. Only when I went down to the plains didthe espionage cease. This thing annoyed Colin desperately, and hiswalks abroad were one continuous growl. Once, in spite of my efforts, he dashed into the thicket, and a squeal of pain followed. He had gotsomebody by the leg, and there was blood on the grass. 

Since I came to Blaauwildebeestefontein I had forgotten the mystery Ihad set out to track in the excitement of a new life and my sordidcontest with Japp. But now this espionage brought back my oldpreoccupation. I was being watched because some person or personsthought that I was dangerous. My suspicions fastened on Japp, but Isoon gave up that clue. It was my presence in the store that was adanger to him, not my wanderings about the countryside. It might bethat he had engineered the espionage so as to drive me out of the placein sheer annoyance; but I flattered myself that Mr Japp knew me toowell to imagine that such a game was likely to succeed. 

The mischief was that I could not make out who the trackers were. Ihad visited all the surrounding locations, and was on good enough termswith all the chiefs. There was 'Mpefu, a dingy old fellow who hadspent a good deal of his life in a Boer gaol before the war. There wasa mission station at his place, and his people seemed to me to be wellbehaved and prosperous. Majinje was a chieftainess, a little girl whomnobody was allowed to see. Her location was a miserable affair, andher tribe was yearly shrinking in numbers. Then there was Magatafarther north among the mountains. He had no quarrel with me, for heused to give me a meal when I went out hunting in that direction; andonce he turned out a hundred of his young men, and I had a great battueof wild dogs. Sikitola, the biggest of all, lived some distance out inthe flats. I knew less about him; but if his men were the trackers, they must have spent most of their days a weary way from their kraal. The Kaffirs in the huts at Blaauwildebeestefontein were mostlyChristians, and quiet, decent fellows, who farmed their little gardens, and certainly preferred me to Japp. I thought at one time of ridinginto Pietersdorp to consult the Native Commissioner. But I discoveredthat the old man, who knew the country, was gone, and that hissuccessor was a young fellow from Rhodesia, who knew nothing aboutanything. Besides, the natives round Blaauwildebeestefontein were wellconducted, and received few official visitations. Now and then acouple of Zulu policemen passed in pursuit of some minor malefactor, and the collector came for the hut-tax; but we gave the Governmentlittle work, and they did not trouble their heads about us. 

As I have said, the clues I had brought out with me toBlaauwildebeestefontein began to occupy my mind again; and the more Ithought of the business the keener I grew. I used to amuse myself withsetting out my various bits of knowledge. There was first of all theRev. John Laputa, his doings on the Kirkcaple shore, his talk withHenriques about Blaauwildebeestefontein, and his strange behaviour atDurban. Then there was what Colles had told me about the place beingqueer, how nobody would stay long either in the store or theschoolhouse. Then there was my talk with Aitken at Lourenco Marques, and his story of a great wizard in the neighbourhood to whom allKaffirs made pilgrimages, and the suspicion of a diamond pipe. Lastand most important, there was this perpetual spying on myself. It wasas clear as daylight that the place held some secret, and I wondered ifold Japp knew. I was fool enough one day to ask him about diamonds. He met me with contemptuous laughter. 'There's your ignorantBritisher, ' he cried. 'If you had ever been to Kimberley you wouldknow the look of a diamond country. You're as likely to find diamondshere as ocean pearls. But go out and scrape in the spruit if you like;you'll maybe find some garnets. '

I made cautious inquiries, too, chiefly through Mr Wardlaw, who wasbecoming a great expert at Kaffir, about the existence of Aitken'swizard, but he could get no news. The most he found out was that therewas a good cure for fever among Sikitola's men, and that Majinje, ifshe pleased, could bring rain. 

The upshot of it all was that, after much brooding, I wrote a letter toMr Colles, and, to make sure of its going, gave it to a missionary topost in Pietersdorp. I told him frankly what Aitken had said, and Ialso told him about the espionage. I said nothing about old Japp, for, beast as he was, I did not want him at his age to be without alivelihood. 

CHAPTER IV

MY JOURNEY TO THE WINTER-VELD

A reply came from Colles, addressed not to me but to Japp. It seemedthat the old fellow had once suggested the establishment of a branchstore at a place out in the plains called Umvelos', and the firm wasnow prepared to take up the scheme. Japp was in high good humour, andshowed me the letter. Not a word was said of what I had written about, only the bare details about starting the branch. I was to get a coupleof masons, load up two wagons with bricks and timber, and go down toUmvelos' and see the store built. The stocking of it and theappointment of a storekeeper would be matter for furthercorrespondence. Japp was delighted, for, besides getting rid of me forseveral weeks, it showed that his advice was respected by hissuperiors. He went about bragging that the firm could not get onwithout him, and was inclined to be more insolent to me than usual inhis new self-esteem. He also got royally drunk over the head of it. 

I confess I was hurt by the manager's silence on what seemed to me morevital matters. But I soon reflected that if he wrote at all he wouldwrite direct to me, and I eagerly watched for the post-runner. Noletter came, however, and I was soon too busy with preparations to lookfor one. I got the bricks and timber from Pietersdorp, and hired twoDutch masons to run the job. The place was not very far fromSikitola's kraal, so there would be no difficulty about native helpers. Having my eyes open for trade, I resolved to kill two birds with onestone. It was the fashion among the old-fashioned farmers on thehigh-veld to drive the cattle down into the bush-veld--which they callthe winter-veld--for winter pasture. There is no fear of red-waterabout that season, and the grass of the plains is rich and thickcompared with the uplands. I discovered that some big droves werepassing on a certain day, and that the owners and their families weretravelling with them in wagons. Accordingly I had a light naachtmaalfitted up as a sort of travelling store, and with my two wagons full ofbuilding material joined the caravan. I hoped to do good trade inselling little luxuries to the farmers on the road and at Umvelos'. 

It was a clear cold morning when we started down the Berg. At first myhands were full with the job of getting my heavy wagons down theawesome precipice which did duty as a highway. We locked the wheelswith chains, and tied great logs of wood behind to act as brakes. Happily my drivers knew their business, but one of the Boer wagons gota wheel over the edge, and it was all that ten men could do to get itback again. 

After that the road was easier, winding down the side of a slowlyopening glen. I rode beside the wagons, and so heavenly was theweather that I was content with my own thoughts. The sky was clearblue, the air warm, yet with a wintry tonic in it, and a thousandaromatic scents came out of the thickets. The pied birds called 'Kaffirqueens' fluttered across the path. Below, the Klein Labongo churned andfoamed in a hundred cascades. Its waters were no more the clear greyof the 'Blue Wildebeeste's Spring, ' but growing muddy with its approachto the richer soil of the plains. 

Oxen travel slow, and we outspanned that night half a day's march shortof Umvelos'. I spent the hour before sunset lounging and smoking withthe Dutch farmers. At first they had been silent and suspicious of anewcomer, but by this time I talked their taal fluently, and we weresoon on good terms. I recall a discussion arising about a black thingin a tree about five hundred yards away. I thought it was an aasvogel, but another thought it was a baboon. Whereupon the oldest of theparty, a farmer called Coetzee, whipped up his rifle and, apparentlywithout sighting, fired. A dark object fell out of the branch, andwhen we reached it we found it a baviaan[1] sure enough, shot throughthe head. 'Which side are you on in the next war?' the old man askedme, and, laughing, I told him 'Yours. '

After supper, the ingredients of which came largely from my naachtmaal, we sat smoking and talking round the fire, the women and children beingsnug in the covered wagons. The Boers were honest companionablefellows, and when I had made a bowl of toddy in the Scotch fashion tokeep out the evening chill, we all became excellent friends. Theyasked me how I got on with Japp. Old Coetzee saved me the trouble ofanswering, for he broke in with Skellum! Skellum![2] I asked him hisobjection to the storekeeper, but he would say nothing beyond that hewas too thick with the natives. I fancy at some time Mr Japp had soldhim a bad plough. 

We spoke of hunting, and I heard long tales of exploits--away on theLimpopo, in Mashonaland, on the Sabi and in the Lebombo. Then weverged on politics, and I listened to violent denunciations of the newland tax. These were old residenters, I reflected, and I might learnperhaps something of value. So very carefully I repeated a tale I saidI had heard at Durban of a great wizard somewhere in the Berg, andasked if any one knew of it. They shook their heads. The natives hadgiven up witchcraft and big medicine, they said, and were more afraidof a parson or a policeman than any witch-doctor. Then they werestarting on reminiscences, when old Coetzee, who was deaf, broke in andasked to have my question repeated. 

'Yes, ' he said, 'I know. It is in the Rooirand. There is a devildwells there. '

I could get no more out of him beyond the fact that there was certainlya great devil there. His grandfather and father had seen it, and hehimself had heard it roaring when he had gone there as a boy to hunt. He would explain no further, and went to bed. 

Next morning, close to Sikitola's kraal, I bade the farmers good-bye, after telling them that there would be a store in my wagon for threeweeks at Umvelos' if they wanted supplies. We then struck more to thenorth towards our destination. As soon as they had gone I had out mymap and searched it for the name old Coetzee had mentioned. It was avery bad map, for there had been no surveying east of the Berg, andmost of the names were mere guesses. But I found the word 'Rooirand'marking an eastern continuation of the northern wall, and probably setdown from some hunter's report. I had better explain here the chieffeatures of the country, for they bulk largely in my story. The Bergruns north and south, and from it run the chief streams which water theplain. They are, beginning from the south, the Olifants, the GrootLetaba, the Letsitela, the Klein Letaba, and the Klein Labongo, onwhich stands Blaauwildebeestefontein. But the greatest river of theplain, into which the others ultimately flow, is the Groot Labongo, which appears full-born from some subterranean source close to theplace called Umvelos'. North from Blaauwildebeestefontein the Bergruns for some twenty miles, and then makes a sharp turn eastward, becoming, according to my map, the Rooirand. 

I pored over these details, and was particularly curious about theGreat Labongo. It seemed to me unlikely that a spring in the bushcould produce so great a river, and I decided that its source must liein the mountains to the north. As well as I could guess, the Rooirand, the nearest part of the Berg, was about thirty miles distant. OldCoetzee had said that there was a devil in the place, but I thoughtthat if it were explored the first thing found would be a fine streamof water. 

We got to Umvelos' after midday, and outspanned for our three weeks'work. I set the Dutchmen to unload and clear the ground forfoundations, while I went off to Sikitola to ask for labourers. I gota dozen lusty blacks, and soon we had a business-like encampment, andthe work went on merrily. It was rough architecture and roughermasonry. All we aimed at was a two-roomed shop with a kind of outhousefor stores. I was architect, and watched the marking out of thefoundations and the first few feet of the walls. Sikitola's peopleproved themselves good helpers, and most of the building was left tothem, while the Dutchmen worked at the carpentry. Bricks ran shortbefore we got very far, and we had to set to brick-making on the bankof the Labongo, and finish off the walls with green bricks, which gavethe place a queer piebald look. 

I was not much of a carpenter, and there were plenty of builderswithout me, so I found a considerable amount of time on my hands. Atfirst I acted as shopkeeper in the naachtmaal, but I soon cleared outmy stores to the Dutch farmers and the natives. I had thought of goingback for more, and then it occurred to me that I might profitably givesome of my leisure to the Rooirand. I could see the wall of themountains quite clear to the north, within an easy day's ride. So onemorning I packed enough food for a day or two, tied my sleeping-bag onmy saddle, and set off to explore, after appointing the elder of theDutchmen foreman of the job in my absence. 

It was very hot jogging along the native path with the eternalolive-green bush around me. Happily there was no fear of losing theway, for the Rooirand stood very clear in front, and slowly, as Iadvanced, I began to make out the details of the cliffs. Atluncheon-time, when I was about half-way, I sat down with my Zeissglass--my mother's farewell gift--to look for the valley. But valley Isaw none. The wall--reddish purple it looked, and, I thought, ofporphyry--was continuous and unbroken. There were chimneys andfissures, but none great enough to hold a river. The top was sheercliff; then came loose kranzes in tiers, like the seats in a gallery, and, below, a dense thicket of trees. I raked the whole line for abreak, but there seemed none. 'It's a bad job for me, ' I thought, 'ifthere is no water, for I must pass the night there. ' The night wasspent in a sheltered nook at the foot of the rocks, but my horse and Iwent to bed without a drink. My supper was some raisins and biscuits, for I did not dare to run the risk of increasing my thirst. I hadfound a great bank of debris sloping up to the kranzes, and thick woodclothing all the slope. The grass seemed wonderfully fresh, but ofwater there was no sign. There was not even the sandy channel of astream to dig in. 

In the morning I had a difficult problem to face. Water I must find atall costs, or I must go home. There was time enough for me to get backwithout suffering much, but if so I must give up my explorations. ThisI was determined not to do. The more I looked at these red cliffs themore eager I was to find out their secret. There must be watersomewhere; otherwise how account for the lushness of the vegetation?

My horse was a veld pony, so I set him loose to see what he would do. He strayed back on the path to Umvelos'. This looked bad, for it meantthat he did not smell water along the cliff front. If I was to find astream it must be on the top, and I must try a little mountaineering. 

Then, taking my courage in both my hands, I decided. I gave my pony acut, and set him off on the homeward road. I knew he was safe to getback in four or five hours, and in broad day there was little fear ofwild beasts attacking him. I had tied my sleeping bag on to thesaddle, and had with me but two pocketfuls of food. I had alsofastened on the saddle a letter to my Dutch foreman, bidding him send anative with a spare horse to fetch me by the evening. Then I startedoff to look for a chimney. 

A boyhood spent on the cliffs at Kirkcaple had made me a bold cragsman, and the porphyry of the Rooirand clearly gave excellent holds. But Iwalked many weary miles along the cliff-foot before I found a feasibleroad. To begin with, it was no light task to fight one's way throughthe dense undergrowth of the lower slopes. Every kind of thorn-bushlay in wait for my skin, creepers tripped me up, high trees shut outthe light, and I was in constant fear lest a black mamba might appearout of the tangle. It grew very hot, and the screes above the thicketwere blistering to the touch. My tongue, too, stuck to the roof of mymouth with thirst. 

The first chimney I tried ran out on the face into nothingness, and Ihad to make a dangerous descent. The second was a deep gully, but sochoked with rubble that after nearly braining myself I desisted. Stillgoing eastwards, I found a sloping ledge which took me to a platformfrom which ran a crack with a little tree growing in it. My glassshowed me that beyond this tree the crack broadened into a clearlydefined chimney which led to the top. If I can once reach that tree, Ithought, the battle is won. The crack was only a few inches wide, largeenough to let in an arm and a foot, and it ran slantwise up aperpendicular rock. I do not think I realized how bad it was till Ihad gone too far to return. Then my foot jammed, and I paused forbreath with my legs and arms cramping rapidly. I remember that Ilooked to the west, and saw through the sweat which kept dropping intomy eyes that about half a mile off a piece of cliff which lookedunbroken from the foot had a fold in it to the right. The darkness ofthe fold showed me that it was a deep, narrow gully. However, I had notime to think of this, for I was fast in the middle of my confoundedcrack. With immense labour I found a chockstone above my head, andmanaged to force my foot free. The next few yards were not sodifficult, and then I stuck once more. 

For the crack suddenly grew shallow as the cliff bulged out above me. I had almost given up hope, when I saw that about three feet above myhead grew the tree. If I could reach it and swing out I might hope topull myself up to the ledge on which it grew. I confess it needed allmy courage, for I did not know but that the tree might be loose, andthat it and I might go rattling down four hundred feet. It was my onlyhope, however, so I set my teeth, and wriggling up a few inches, made agrab at it. Thank God it held, and with a great effort I pulled myshoulder over the ledge, and breathed freely. 

My difficulties were not ended, but the worst was past. The rest ofthe gully gave me good and safe climbing, and presently a very limp andweary figure lay on the cliff-top. It took me many minutes to get backmy breath and to conquer the faintness which seized me as soon as theneed for exertion was over. 

When I scrambled to my feet and looked round, I saw a wonderfulprospect. It was a plateau like the high-veld, only covered withbracken and little bushes like hazels. Three or four miles off theground rose, and a shallow vale opened. But in the foreground, half amile or so distant, a lake lay gleaming in the sun. 

I could scarcely believe my eyes as I ran towards it, and doubts of amirage haunted me. But it was no mirage, but a real lake, perhapsthree miles in circumference, with bracken-fringed banks, a shore ofwhite pebbles, and clear deep blue water. I drank my fill, and thenstripped and swam in the blessed coolness. After that I ate someluncheon, and sunned myself on a flat rock. 'I have discovered thesource of the Labongo, ' I said to myself. 'I will write to the RoyalGeographical Society, and they will give me a medal. '

I walked round the lake to look for an outlet. A fine mountain streamcame in at the north end, and at the south end, sure enough, aconsiderable river debauched. My exploring zeal redoubled, and Ifollowed its course in a delirium of expectation. It was a noblestream, clear as crystal, and very unlike the muddy tropical Labongo atUmvelos'. Suddenly, about a quarter of a mile from the lake, the landseemed to grow over it, and with a swirl and a hollow roar, itdisappeared into a mighty pot-hole. I walked a few steps on, and frombelow my feet came the most uncanny rumbling and groaning. Then I knewwhat old Coetzee's devil was that howled in the Rooirand. 

Had I continued my walk to the edge of the cliff, I might have learneda secret which would have stood me in good stead later. But thedescent began to make me anxious, and I retraced my steps to the top ofthe chimney whence I had come. I was resolved that nothing would makeme descend by that awesome crack, so I kept on eastward along the topto look for a better way. I found one about a mile farther on, which, though far from easy, had no special risks save from the appallinglooseness of the debris. When I got down at length, I found that itwas near sunset. I went to the place I had bidden my native look forme at, but, as I had feared, there was no sign of him. So, making thebest of a bad job, I had supper and a pipe, and spent a very chillynight in a hole among the boulders. 

I got up at dawn stiff and cold, and ate a few raisins for breakfast. There was no sign of horses, so I resolved to fill up the time inlooking for the fold of the cliff which, as I had seen from thehorrible crack of yesterday, contained a gully. It was a difficultjob, for to get the sidelong view of the cliff I had to scramblethrough the undergrowth of the slopes again, and even a certain way upthe kranzes. At length I got my bearings, and fixed the place by sometall trees in the bush. Then I descended and walked westwards. 

Suddenly, as I neared the place, I heard the strangest sound comingfrom the rocks. It was a deep muffled groaning, so eerie and unearthlythat for the moment I stood and shivered. Then I remembered my river ofyesterday. It must be above this place that it descended into theearth, and in the hush of dawn the sound was naturally louder. Nowonder old Coetzee had been afraid of devils. It reminded me of thelines in Marmion--

 'Diving as if condemned to lave Some demon's subterranean cave, Who, prisoned by enchanter's spell, Shakes the dark rock with groan and yell. '

While I was standing awestruck at the sound, I observed a figure movingtowards the cliffs. I was well in cover, so I could not have beennoticed. It was a very old man, very tall, but bowed in the shoulders, who was walking slowly with bent head. He could not have been thirtyyards from me, so I had a clear view of his face. He was a native, butof a type I had never seen before. A long white beard fell on hisbreast, and a magnificent kaross of leopard skin covered his shoulders. His face was seamed and lined and shrunken, so that he seemed as old asTime itself. 

Very carefully I crept after him, and found myself opposite the foldwhere the gully was. There was a clear path through the jungle, a pathworn smooth by many feet. I followed it through the undergrowth andover the screes till it turned inside the fold of the gully. And thenit stopped short. I was in a deep cleft, but in front was a slab ofsheer rock. Above, the gully looked darker and deeper, but there wasthis great slab to pass. I examined the sides, but they were sheerrock with no openings. 

Had I had my wits about me, I would have gone back and followed thespoor, noting where it stopped. But the whole thing looked black magicto me; my stomach was empty and my enterprise small. Besides, therewas the terrible moaning of the imprisoned river in my ears. I amashamed to confess it, but I ran from that gully as if the devil andall his angels had been following me. Indeed, I did not slacken till Ihad put a good mile between me and those uncanny cliffs. After that Iset out to foot it back. If the horses would not come to me I must goto them. 

I walked twenty-five miles in a vile temper, enraged at my Dutchmen, mynatives, and everybody. The truth is, I had been frightened, and mypride was sore about it. It grew very hot, the sand rose and chokedme, the mopani trees with their dull green wearied me, the 'Kaffirqueens' and jays and rollers which flew about the path seemed to bethere to mock me. About half-way home I found a boy and two horses, androundly I cursed him. It seemed that my pony had returned rightenough, and the boy had been sent to fetch me. He had got half-waybefore sunset the night before, and there he had stayed. I discoveredfrom him that he was scared to death, and did not dare go any nearerthe Rooirand. It was accursed, he said, for it was an abode of devils, and only wizards went near it. I was bound to admit to myself that Icould not blame him. At last I had got on the track of somethingcertain about this mysterious country, and all the way back I wonderedif I should have the courage to follow it up. 

[1] Baboon. 

[2] Schelm: Rascal. 

CHAPTER V

MR WARDLAW HAS A PREMONITION

A week later the building job was finished, I locked the door of thenew store, pocketed the key, and we set out for home. Sikitola wasentrusted with the general care of it, and I knew him well enough to besure that he would keep his people from doing mischief. I left myempty wagons to follow at their leisure and rode on, with the resultthat I arrived at Blaauwildebeestefontein two days before I was lookedfor. 

I stabled my horse, and went round to the back to see Colin. (I hadleft him at home in case of fights with native dogs, for he was an illbeast in a crowd. ) I found him well and hearty, for Zeeta had beenlooking after him. Then some whim seized me to enter the store throughmy bedroom window. It was open, and I crawled softly in to find theroom fresh and clean from Zeeta's care. The door was ajar, and, hearing voices, I peeped into the shop. 

Japp was sitting on the counter talking in a low voice to a bignative--the same 'Mwanga whom I had bundled out unceremoniously. Inoticed that the outer door giving on the road was shut, a most unusualthing in the afternoon. Japp had some small objects in his hand, andthe two were evidently arguing about a price. I had no intention atfirst of eavesdropping, and was just about to push the door open, whensomething in Japp's face arrested me. He was up to no good, and Ithought it my business to wait. 

The low tones went on for a little, both men talking in Kaffir, andthen Japp lifted up one of the little objects between finger and thumb. It was a small roundish stone about the size of a bean, but even inthat half light there was a dull lustre in it. 

At that I shoved the door open and went in. Both men started as ifthey had been shot. Japp went as white as his mottled face permitted. 'What the--' he gasped, and he dropped the thing he was holding. 

I picked it up, and laid it on the counter. 'So, ' I said, 'diamonds, Mr Japp. You have found the pipe I was looking for. I congratulateyou. '

My words gave the old ruffian his cue. 'Yes, yes, ' he said, 'I have, or rather my friend 'Mwanga has. He has just been telling me about it. '

The Kaffir looked miserably uncomfortable. He shifted from one leg tothe other, casting longing glances at the closed door. 

'I tink I go, ' he said. 'Afterwards we will speak more. '

I told him I thought he had better go, and opened the door for him. Then I bolted it again, and turned to Mr Japp. 

'So that's your game, ' I said. 'I thought there was something funnyabout you, but I didn't know it was I. D. B. You were up to. '

He looked as if he could kill me. For five minutes he cursed me with aperfection of phrase which I had thought beyond him. It was no I. D. B. , he declared, but a pipe which 'Mwanga had discovered. 'In this kind ofcountry?' I said, quoting his own words. 'Why, you might as well expectto find ocean pearls as diamonds. But scrape in the spruit if youlike; you'll maybe find some garnets. '

He choked down his wrath, and tried a new tack. 'What will you take tohold your tongue? I'll make you a rich man if you'll come in with me. 'And then he started with offers which showed that he had been making agood thing out of the traffic. 

I stalked over to him, and took him by the shoulder. 'You oldreprobate, ' I roared, 'if you breathe such a proposal to me again, I'lltie you up like a sack and carry you to Pietersdorp. '

At this he broke down and wept maudlin tears, disgusting to witness. He said he was an old man who had always lived honestly, and it wouldbreak his heart if his grey hairs were to be disgraced. As he satrocking himself with his hands over his face, I saw his wicked littleeyes peering through the slits of his fingers to see what my next movewould be. 

'See here, Mr Japp, ' I said, 'I'm not a police spy, and it's nobusiness of mine to inform against you. I'm willing to keep you out ofgaol, but it must be on my own conditions. The first is that youresign this job and clear out. You will write to Mr Colles a letter atmy dictation, saying that you find the work too much for you. Thesecond is that for the time you remain here the diamond business mustutterly cease. If 'Mwanga or anybody like him comes inside the store, and if I get the slightest hint that you're back at the trade, in yougo to Pietersdorp. I'm not going to have my name disgraced by beingassociated with you. The third condition is that when you leave thisplace you go clear away. If you come within twenty miles ofBlaauwildebeestefontein and I find you, I will give you up. '

He groaned and writhed at my terms, but in the end accepted them. Hewrote the letter, and I posted it. I had no pity for the old scamp, who had feathered his nest well. Small wonder that the firm's businesswas not as good as it might be, when Japp was giving most of his timeto buying diamonds from native thieves. The secret put him in thepower of any Kaffir who traded him a stone. No wonder he cringed toruffians like 'Mwanga. 

The second thing I did was to shift my quarters. Mr Wardlaw had aspare room which he had offered me before, and now I accepted it. Iwanted to be no more mixed up with Japp than I could help, for I didnot know what villainy he might let me in for. Moreover, I carriedZeeta with me, being ashamed to leave her at the mercy of the oldbully. Japp went up to the huts and hired a slattern to mind hishouse, and then drank heavily for three days to console himself. 

That night I sat smoking with Mr Wardlaw in his sitting-room, where awelcome fire burned, for the nights on the Berg were chilly. Iremember the occasion well for the queer turn the conversation took. Wardlaw, as I have said, had been working like a slave at the Kaffirtongues. I talked a kind of Zulu well enough to make myselfunderstood, and I could follow it when spoken; but he had realscholarship in the thing, and knew all about the grammar and thedifferent dialects. Further, he had read a lot about native history, and was full of the doings of Tchaka and Mosilikatse and Moshesh, andthe kings of old. Having little to do in the way of teaching, he hadmade up for it by reading omnivorously. He used to borrow books fromthe missionaries, and he must have spent half his salary in buying newones. 

To-night as he sat and puffed in his armchair, he was full of storiesabout a fellow called Monomotapa. It seems he was a great blackemperor whom the Portuguese discovered about the sixteenth century. Helived to the north in Mashonaland, and had a mountain full of gold. The Portuguese did not make much of him, but they got his son andturned him into a priest. 

I told Wardlaw that he was most likely only a petty chief, whoseexploits were magnified by distance, the same as the caciques inMexico. But the schoolmaster would not accept this. 

'He must have been a big man, Davie. You know that the old ruins inRhodesia, called Zimbabwe, were long believed to be Phoenician inorigin. I have a book here which tells all about them. But now it isbelieved that they were built by natives. I maintain that the men whocould erect piles like that'--and he showed me a picture--'weresomething more than petty chiefs. '

Presently the object of this conversation appeared. Mr Wardlaw thoughtthat we were underrating the capacity of the native. This opinion wasnatural enough in a schoolmaster, but not in the precise form Wardlawput it. It was not his intelligence which he thought we underrated, but his dangerousness. His reasons, shortly, were these: There werefive or six of them to every white man; they were all, roughlyspeaking, of the same stock, with the same tribal beliefs; they hadonly just ceased being a warrior race, with a powerful militarydiscipline; and, most important, they lived round the rim of thehigh-veld plateau, and if they combined could cut off the white manfrom the sea. I pointed out to him that it would only be a matter oftime before we opened the road again. 'Ay, ' he said, 'but think ofwhat would happen before then. Think of the lonely farms and thelittle dorps wiped out of the map. It would be a second and bloodierIndian mutiny. 'I'm not saying it's likely, ' he went on, 'but Imaintain it's possible. Supposing a second Tchaka turned up, who couldget the different tribes to work together. It wouldn't be so very hardto smuggle in arms. Think of the long, unwatched coast in Gazaland andTongaland. If they got a leader with prestige enough to organize acrusade against the white man, I don't see what could prevent a rising. '

'We should get wind of it in time to crush it at the start, ' I said. 

'I'm not so sure. They are cunning fellows, and have arts that we knownothing about. You have heard of native telepathy. They can send newsover a thousand miles as quick as the telegraph, and we have no meansof tapping the wires. If they ever combined they could keep it assecret as the grave. My houseboy might be in the rising, and I wouldnever suspect it till one fine morning he cut my throat. '

'But they would never find a leader. If there was some exiled princeof Tchaka's blood, who came back like Prince Charlie to free hispeople, there might be danger; but their royalties are fat men with tophats and old frock-coats, who live in dirty locations. '

Wardlaw admitted this, but said that there might be other kinds ofleaders. He had been reading a lot about Ethiopianism, which educatedAmerican negroes had been trying to preach in South Africa. He did notsee why a kind of bastard Christianity should not be the motive of arising. 'The Kaffir finds it an easy job to mix up Christian emotionand pagan practice. Look at Hayti and some of the performances in theSouthern States. '

Then he shook the ashes out of his pipe and leaned forward with asolemn face. 'I'll admit the truth to you, Davie. I'm black afraid. '

He looked so earnest and serious sitting there with his short-sightedeyes peering at me that I could not help being impressed. 

'Whatever is the matter?' I asked. 'Has anything happened?'

He shook his head. 'Nothing I can put a name to. But I have apresentiment that some mischief is afoot in these hills. I feel it inmy bones. '

I confess I was startled by these words. You must remember that I hadnever given a hint of my suspicions to Mr Wardlaw beyond asking him ifa wizard lived in the neighbourhood--a question anybody might have put. But here was the schoolmaster discovering for himself some mystery inBlaauwildebeestefontein. 

I tried to get at his evidence, but it was very little. He thoughtthere were an awful lot of blacks about. 'The woods are full of them, 'he said. I gathered he did not imagine he was being spied on, butmerely felt that there were more natives about than could be explained. 'There's another thing, ' he said. 'The native bairns have all left theschool. I've only three scholars left, and they are from Dutch farms. I went to Majinje to find out what was up, and an old crone told me theplace was full of bad men. I tell you, Davie, there's somethingbrewing, and that something is not good for us. '

There was nothing new to me in what Wardlaw had to tell, and yet thattalk late at night by a dying fire made me feel afraid for the secondtime since I had come to Blaauwildebeestefontein. I had a clue and hadbeen on the look-out for mysteries, but that another should feel thestrangeness for himself made it seem desperately real to me. Of courseI scoffed at Mr Wardlaw's fears. I could not have him spoiling all myplans by crying up a native rising for which he had not a scrap ofevidence. 

'Have you been writing to anybody?' I asked him. 

He said that he had told no one, but he meant to, unless things gotbetter. 'I haven't the nerve for this job, Davie, ' he said; 'I'll haveto resign. And it's a pity, for the place suits my health fine. Yousee I know too much, and I haven't your whinstone nerve and total lackof imagination. '

I told him that it was simply fancy, and came from reading too manybooks and taking too little exercise. But I made him promise to saynothing to anybody either by word of mouth or letter, without tellingme first. Then I made him a rummer of toddy and sent him to bed atrifle comforted. 

The first thing I did in my new room was to shift the bed into thecorner out of line with the window. There were no shutters, so I putup an old table-top and jammed it between the window frames. Also, Iloaded my shot-gun and kept it by my bedside. Had Wardlaw seen thesepreparations he might have thought more of my imagination and less ofmy nerve. It was a real comfort to me to put out a hand in thedarkness and feel Colin's shaggy coat. 

CHAPTER VI

THE DRUMS BEAT AT SUNSET

Japp was drunk for the next day or two, and I had the business of thestore to myself. I was glad of this, for it gave me leisure to reflectupon the various perplexities of my situation. As I have said, I wasreally scared, more out of a sense of impotence than from dread ofactual danger. I was in a fog of uncertainty. Things were happeningaround me which I could only dimly guess at, and I had no power to takeone step in defence. That Wardlaw should have felt the same withoutany hint from me was the final proof that the mystery was no figment ofmy nerves. I had written to Colles and got no answer. Now the letterwith Japp's resignation in it had gone to Durban. Surely some noticewould be taken of that. If I was given the post, Colles was bound toconsider what I had said in my earlier letter and give me somedirections. Meanwhile it was my business to stick to my job till I wasrelieved. 

A change had come over the place during my absence. The natives hadalmost disappeared from sight. Except the few families living roundBlaauwildebeestefontein one never saw a native on the roads, and nonecame into the store. They were sticking close to their locations, orelse they had gone after some distant business. Except a batch ofthree Shangaans returning from the Rand, I had nobody in the store forthe whole of one day. So about four o'clock I shut it up, whistled onColin, and went for a walk along the Berg. 

If there were no natives on the road, there were plenty in the bush. Ihad the impression, of which Wardlaw had spoken, that the nativepopulation of the countryside had suddenly been hugely increased. Thewoods were simply hotching with them. I was being spied on as before, but now there were so many at the business that they could not allconceal their tracks. Every now and then I had a glimpse of a blackshoulder or leg, and Colin, whom I kept on the leash, was half-mad withexcitement. I had seen all I wanted, and went home with a preoccupiedmind. I sat long on Wardlaw's garden-seat, trying to puzzle out thetruth of this spying. 

What perplexed me was that I had been left unmolested when I had goneto Umvelos'. Now, as I conjectured, the secret of the neighbourhood, whatever it was, was probably connected with the Rooirand. But when Ihad ridden in that direction and had spent two days in exploring, noone had troubled to watch me. I was quite certain about this, for myeye had grown quick to note espionage, and it is harder for a spy tohide in the spare bush of the flats than in the dense thickets on theseuplands. 

The watchers, then, did not mind my fossicking round their sacredplace. Why, then, was I so closely watched in the harmlessneighbourhood of the store? I thought for a long time before an answeroccurred to me. The reason must be that going to the plains I wasgoing into native country and away from civilization. ButBlaauwildebeestefontein was near the frontier. There must be some darkbusiness brewing of which they may have feared that I had an inkling. They wanted to see if I proposed to go to Pietersdorp or Wesselsburgand tell what I knew, and they clearly were resolved that I should not. I laughed, I remember, thinking that they had forgotten the post-bag. But then I reflected that I knew nothing of what might be happeningdaily to the post-bag. 

When I had reached this conclusion, my first impulse was to test it byriding straight west on the main road. If I was right, I shouldcertainly be stopped. On second thoughts, however, this seemed to meto be flinging up the game prematurely, and I resolved to wait a day ortwo before acting. 

Next day nothing happened, save that my sense of loneliness increased. I felt that I was being hemmed in by barbarism, and cut off in aghoulish land from the succour of my own kind. I only kept my courageup by the necessity of presenting a brave face to Mr Wardlaw, who wasby this time in a very broken condition of nerves. I had often thoughtthat it was my duty to advise him to leave, and to see him safely off, but I shrank from severing myself from my only friend. I thought, too, of the few Dutch farmers within riding distance, and had half a mind tovisit them, but they were far off over the plateau and could knowlittle of my anxieties. 

The third day events moved faster. Japp was sober and wonderfullyquiet. He gave me good-morning quite in a friendly tone, and set toposting up the books as if he had never misbehaved in his days. I wasso busy with my thoughts that I, too, must have been gentler thanusual, and the morning passed like a honeymoon, till I went across todinner. 

I was just sitting down when I remembered that I had left my watch inmy waistcoat behind the counter, and started to go back for it. But atthe door I stopped short. For two horsemen had drawn up before thestore. 

One was a native with what I took to be saddle-bags; the other was asmall slim man with a sun helmet, who was slowly dismounting. Something in the cut of his jib struck me as familiar. I slipped intothe empty schoolroom and stared hard. Then, as he half-turned inhanding his bridle to the Kaffir, I got a sight of his face. It was myformer shipmate, Henriques. He said something to his companion, andentered the store. 

You may imagine that my curiosity ran to fever-heat. My first impulsewas to march over for my waistcoat, and make a third with Japp at theinterview. Happily I reflected in time that Henriques knew my face, for I had grown no beard, having a great dislike to needless hair. Ifhe was one of the villains in the drama, he would mark me down for hisvengeance once he knew I was here, whereas at present he had probablyforgotten all about me. Besides, if I walked in boldly I would get nonews. If japp and he had a secret, they would not blab it in mypresence. 

My next idea was to slip in by the back to the room I had once livedin. But how was I to cross the road? It ran white and dry somedistance each way in full view of the Kaffir with the horses. Further, the store stood on a bare patch, and it would be a hard job to get inby the back, assuming, as I believed, that the neighbourhood was thickwith spies. 

The upshot was that I got my glasses and turned them on the store. Thedoor was open, and so was the window. In the gloom of the interior Imade out Henriques' legs. He was standing by the counter, andapparently talking to Japp. He moved to shut the door, and came backinside my focus opposite the window. There he stayed for maybe tenminutes, while I hugged my impatience. I would have given a hundredpounds to be snug in my old room with japp thinking me out of the store. 

Suddenly the legs twitched up, and his boots appeared above thecounter. Japp had invited him to his bedroom, and the game was now tobe played beyond my ken. This was more than I could stand, so I stoleout at the back door and took to the thickest bush on the hillside. Mynotion was to cross the road half a mile down, when it had dropped intothe defile of the stream, and then to come swiftly up the edge of thewater so as to effect a back entrance into the store. 

As fast as I dared I tore through the bush, and in about a quarter ofan hour had reached the point I was making for. Then I bore down to theroad, and was in the scrub about ten yards off it, when the clatter ofhorses pulled me up again. Peeping out I saw that it was my friend andhis Kaffir follower, who were riding at a very good pace for theplains. Toilfully and crossly I returned on my tracks to mylong-delayed dinner. Whatever the purport of their talk, Japp and thePortuguese had not taken long over it. 

In the store that afternoon I said casually to Japp that I had noticedvisitors at the door during my dinner hour. The old man looked mefrankly enough in the face. 'Yes, it was Mr Hendricks, ' he said, andexplained that the man was a Portuguese trader from Delagoa way, whohad a lot of Kaffir stores east of the Lebombo Hills. I asked hisbusiness, and was told that he always gave Japp a call in when he waspassing. 

'Do you take every man that calls into your bedroom, and shut thedoor?' I asked. 

Japp lost colour and his lip trembled. 'I swear to God, Mr Crawfurd, I've been doing nothing wrong. I've kept the promise I gave you likean oath to my mother. I see you suspect me, and maybe you've cause, but I'll be quite honest with you. I have dealt in diamonds beforethis with Hendricks. But to-day, when he asked me, I told him that thatbusiness was off. I only took him to my room to give him a drink. Helikes brandy, and there's no supply in the shop. '

I distrusted Japp wholeheartedly enough, but I was convinced that inthis case he spoke the truth. 'Had the man any news?' I asked. 

'He had and he hadn't, ' said Japp. 'He was always a sullen beggar, andnever spoke much. But he said one queer thing. He asked me if I wasgoing to retire, and when I told him "yes, " he said I had put it offrather long. I told him I was as healthy as I ever was, and he laughedin his dirty Portugoose way. "Yes, Mr Japp, " he says, "but the countryis not so healthy. " I wonder what the chap meant. He'll be dead ofblackwater before many months, to judge by his eyes. '

This talk satisfied me about Japp, who was clearly in desperate fear ofoffending me, and disinclined to return for the present to his oldways. But I think the rest of the afternoon was the most wretched timein my existence. It was as plain as daylight that we were in for somegrave trouble, trouble to which I believed that I alone held any kindof clue. I had a pile of evidence--the visit of Henriques was the lastbit--which pointed to some great secret approaching its disclosure. Ithought that that disclosure meant blood and ruin. But I knew nothingdefinite. If the commander of a British army had come to me then andthere and offered help, I could have done nothing, only asked him towait like me. The peril, whatever it was, did not threaten me only, though I and Wardlaw and Japp might be the first to suffer; but I had aterrible feeling that I alone could do something to ward it off, andjust what that something was I could not tell. I was horribly afraid, not only of unknown death, but of my impotence to play any manly part. I was alone, knowing too much and yet too little, and there was nochance of help under the broad sky. I cursed myself for not writing toAitken at Lourenco Marques weeks before. He had promised to come up, and he was the kind of man who kept his word. 

In the late afternoon I dragged Wardlaw out for a walk. In hispresence I had to keep up a forced cheerfulness, and I believe thepretence did me good. We took a path up the Berg among groves ofstinkwood and essenwood, where a failing stream made an easy route. Itmay have been fancy, but it seemed to me that the wood was emptier andthat we were followed less closely. I remember it was a lovelyevening, and in the clear fragrant gloaming every foreland of the Bergstood out like a great ship above the dark green sea of the bush. Whenwe reached the edge of the plateau we saw the sun sinking between twofar blue peaks in Makapan's country, and away to the south the greatroll of the high veld. I longed miserably for the places where whitemen were thronged together in dorps and cities. As we gazed a curioussound struck our ears. It seemed to begin far up in the north--a lowroll like the combing of breakers on the sand. Then it grew louder andtravelled nearer--a roll, with sudden spasms of harsher sound in it;reminding me of the churning in one of the pot-holes of Kirkcaplecliffs. Presently it grew softer again as the sound passed south, butnew notes were always emerging. The echo came sometimes, as it were, from stark rock, and sometimes from the deep gloom of the forests. Ihave never heard an eerier sound. Neither natural nor human it seemed, but the voice of that world between which is hid from man's sight andhearing. 

Mr Wardlaw clutched my arm, and in that moment I guessed theexplanation. The native drums were beating, passing some message fromthe far north down the line of the Berg, where the locations werethickest, to the great black population of the south. 

'But that means war, ' Mr Wardlaw cried. 

'It means nothing of the kind, ' I said shortly. 'It's their way ofsending news. It's as likely to be some change in the weather or anoutbreak of cattle disease. '

When we got home I found Japp with a face like grey paper. 'Did youhear the drums?'he asked. 

'Yes, ' I said shortly. 'What about them?'

'God forgive you for an ignorant Britisher, ' he almost shouted. 'Youmay hear drums any night, but a drumming like that I only once heardbefore. It was in '79 in the 'Zeti valley. Do you know what happenednext day? Cetewayo's impis came over the hills, and in an hour therewasn't a living white soul in the glen. Two men escaped, and one ofthem was called Peter Japp. '

'We are in God's hands then, and must wait on His will, ' I saidsolemnly. 

There was no more sleep for Wardlaw and myself that night. We made thebest barricade we could of the windows, loaded all our weapons, andtrusted to Colin to give us early news. Before supper I went over toget Japp to join us, but found that that worthy had sought help fromhis old protector, the bottle, and was already sound asleep with bothdoor and window open. 

I had made up my mind that death was certain, and yet my heart beliedmy conviction, and I could not feel the appropriate mood. If anythingI was more cheerful since I had heard the drums. It was clearly nowbeyond the power of me or any man to stop the march of events. Mythoughts ran on a native rising, and I kept telling myself how littlethat was probable. Where were the arms, the leader, the discipline? Atany rate such arguments put me to sleep before dawn, and I wakened ateight to find that nothing had happened. The clear morning sunlight, as of old, made Blaauwildebeestefontein the place of a dream. Zeetabrought in my cup of coffee as if this day were just like all others, my pipe tasted as sweet, the fresh air from the Berg blew as fragrantlyon my brow. I went over to the store in reasonably good spirits, leaving Wardlaw busy on the penitential Psalms. 

The post-runner had brought the mail as usual, and there was oneprivate letter for me. I opened it with great excitement, for theenvelope bore the stamp of the firm. At last Colles had deigned toanswer. 

Inside was a sheet of the firm's notepaper, with the signature ofColles across the top. Below some one had pencilled these five words:

'The Blesbok[1] are changing ground. '

I looked to see that Japp had not suffocated himself, then shut up thestore, and went back to my room to think out this new mystification. 

The thing had come from Colles, for it was the private notepaper of theDurban office, and there was Colles' signature. But the pencilling wasin a different hand. My deduction from this was that some one wishedto send me a message, and that Colles had given that some one a sheetof signed paper to serve as a kind of introduction. I might take it, therefore, that the scribble was Colles' reply to my letter. 

Now, my argument continued, if the unknown person saw fit to send me amessage, it could not be merely one of warning. Colles must have toldhim that I was awake to some danger, and as I was inBlaauwildebeestefontein, I must be nearer the heart of things than anyone else. The message must therefore be in the nature of somepassword, which I was to remember when I heard it again. 

I reasoned the whole thing out very clearly, and I saw no gap in mylogic. I cannot describe how that scribble had heartened me. I feltno more the crushing isolation of yesterday. There were others besideme in the secret. Help must be on the way, and the letter was thefirst tidings. 

But how near?--that was the question; and it occurred to me for thefirst time to look at the postmark. I went back to the store and gotthe envelope out of the waste-paper basket. The postmark was certainlynot Durban. The stamp was a Cape Colony one, and of the mark I couldonly read three letters, T. R. S. This was no sort of clue, and Iturned the thing over, completely baffled. Then I noticed that therewas no mark of the post town of delivery. Our letters toBlaauwildebeestefontein came through Pietersdorp and bore that mark. Icompared the envelope with others. They all had a circle, and'Pietersdorp' in broad black letters. But this envelope had nothingexcept the stamp. 

I was still slow at detective work, and it was some minutes before theexplanation flashed on me. The letter had never been posted at all. The stamp was a fake, and had been borrowed from an old envelope. There was only one way in which it could have come. It must have beenput in the letter-bag while the postman was on his way fromPietersdorp. My unknown friend must therefore be somewhere withineighty miles of me. I hurried off to look for the post-runner, but hehad started back an hour before. There was nothing for it but to waiton the coming of the unknown. 

That afternoon I again took Mr Wardlaw for a walk. It is an ingrainedhabit of mine that I never tell anyone more of a business than ispractically necessary. For months I had kept all my knowledge tomyself, and breathed not a word to a soul. But I thought it my duty totell Wardlaw about the letter, to let him see that we were notforgotten. I am afraid it did not encourage his mind. Occult messagesseemed to him only the last proof of a deadly danger encompassing us, and I could not shake his opinion. 

We took the same road to the crown of the Berg, and I was confirmed inmy suspicion that the woods were empty and the watchers gone. Theplace was as deserted as the bush at Umvelos'. When we reached thesummit about sunset we waited anxiously for the sound of drums. Itcame, as we expected, louder and more menacing than before. Wardlawstood pinching my arm as the great tattoo swept down the escarpment, and died away in the far mountains beyond the Olifants, Yet it nolonger seemed to be a wall of sound, shutting us out from our kindredin the West. A message had pierced the wall. If the blesbok werechanging ground, I believed that the hunters were calling out theirhounds and getting ready for the chase. 

[1] A species of buck. 

CHAPTER VII

CAPTAIN ARCOLL TELLS A TALE

It froze in the night, harder than was common on the Berg even inwinter, and as I crossed the road next morning it was covered withrime. All my fears had gone, and my mind was strung high withexpectation. Five pencilled words may seem a small thing to build hopeon, but it was enough for me, and I went about my work in the storewith a reasonably light heart. One of the first things I did was totake stock of our armoury. There were five sporting Mausers of a cheapmake, one Mauser pistol, a Lee-Speed carbine, and a littlenickel-plated revolver. There was also Japp's shot-gun, an oldhammered breech-loader, as well as the gun I had brought out with me. There was a good supply of cartridges, including a stock for a . 400express which could not be found. I pocketed the revolver, andsearched till I discovered a good sheath-knife. If fighting was inprospect I might as well look to my arms. 

All the morning I sat among flour and sugar possessing my soul in asmuch patience as I could command. Nothing came down the white roadfrom the west. The sun melted the rime; the flies came out and buzzedin the window; Japp got himself out of bed, brewed strong coffee, andwent back to his slumbers. Presently it was dinner-time, and I wentover to a silent meal with Wardlaw. When I returned I must have fallenasleep over a pipe, for the next thing I knew I was blinking drowsilyat the patch of sun in the door, and listening for footsteps. In thedead stillness of the afternoon I thought I could discern a shufflingin the dust. I got up and looked out, and there, sure enough, was someone coming down the road. 

But it was only a Kaffir, and a miserable-looking object at that. Ihad never seen such an anatomy. It was a very old man, bent almostdouble, and clad in a ragged shirt and a pair of foul khaki trousers. He carried an iron pot, and a few belongings were tied up in a dirtyhandkerchief. He must have been a dacha[1] smoker, for he coughedhideously, twisting his body with the paroxysms. I had seen the typebefore--the old broken-down native who had no kin to support him, andno tribe to shelter him. They wander about the roads, cooking theirwretched meals by their little fires, till one morning they are foundstiff under a bush. 

The native gave me a good-day in Kaffir, then begged for tobacco or ahandful of mealie-meal. 

I asked him where he came from. 

'From the west, Inkoos, ' he said, 'and before that from the south. Itis a sore road for old bones. '

I went into the store to fetch some meal, and when I came out he hadshuffled close to the door. He had kept his eyes on the ground, butnow he looked up at me, and I thought he had very bright eyes for suchan old wreck. 

'The nights are cold, Inkoos, ' he wailed, 'and my folk are scattered, and I have no kraal. The aasvogels follow me, and I can hear theblesbok. ' 'What about the blesbok?' I asked with a start. 

'The blesbok are changing ground, ' he said, and looked me straight inthe face. 

'And where are the hunters?' I asked. 'They are here and behind me, ' hesaid in English, holding out his pot for my meal, while he began toedge into the middle of the road. 

I followed, and, speaking English, asked him if he knew of a man namedColles. 

'I come from him, young Baas. Where is your house? Ah, the school. There will be a way in by the back window? See that it is open, forI'll be there shortly. ' Then lifting up his voice he called down inSesuto all manner of blessings on me for my kindness, and wentshuffling down the sunlit road, coughing like a volcano. 

In high excitement I locked up the store and went over to Mr Wardlaw. No children had come to school that day, and he was sitting idle, playing patience. 'Lock the door, ' I said, 'and come into my room. We're on the brink of explanations. '

In about twenty minutes the bush below the back-window parted and theKaffir slipped out. He grinned at me, and after a glance round, hoppedvery nimbly over the sill. Then he examined the window and pulled thecurtains. 

'Is the outer door shut?' he asked in excellent English. 'Well, get mesome hot water, and any spare clothes you may possess, Mr Crawfurd. Imust get comfortable before we begin our indaba. [2] We've the nightbefore us, so there's plenty of time. But get the house clear, and seethat nobody disturbs me at my toilet. I am a modest man, and sensitiveabout my looks. '

I brought him what he wanted, and looked on at an amazingtransformation. Taking a phial from his bundle, he rubbed some liquidon his face and neck and hands, and got rid of the black colouring. His body and legs he left untouched, save that he covered them withshirt and trousers from my wardrobe. Then he pulled off a scaly wig, and showed beneath it a head of close-cropped grizzled hair. In tenminutes the old Kaffir had been transformed into an activesoldierly-looking man of maybe fifty years. Mr Wardlaw stared as if hehad seen a resurrection. 

'I had better introduce myself, ' he said, when he had taken the edgeoff his thirst and hunger. 'My name is Arcoll, Captain James Arcoll. I am speaking to Mr Crawfurd, the storekeeper, and Mr Wardlaw, theschoolmaster, of Blaauwildebeestefontein. Where, by the way, is MrPeter Japp? Drunk? Ah, yes, it was always his failing. The quorum, however, is complete without him. '

By this time it was about sunset, and I remember I cocked my ear tohear the drums beat. Captain Arcoll noticed the movement as he noticedall else. 'You're listening for the drums, but you won't hear them. That business is over here. To-night they beat in Swaziland and downinto the Tonga border. Three days more, unless you and I, Mr Crawfurd, are extra smart, and they'll be hearing them in Durban. '

It was not till the lamp was lit, the fire burning well, and the houselocked and shuttered, that Captain Arcoll began his tale. 

'First, ' he said, 'let me hear what you know. Colles told me that youwere a keen fellow, and had wind of some mystery here. You wrote himabout the way you were spied on, but I told him to take no notice. Your affair, Mr Crawfurd, had to wait on more urgent matters. Now, what do you think is happening?' I spoke very shortly, weighing mywords, for I felt I was on trial before these bright eyes. 'I thinkthat some kind of native rising is about to commence. '

'Ay, ' he said dryly, 'you would, and your evidence would be the spyingand drumming. Anything more?'

'I have come on the tracks of a lot of I. D. B. Work in theneighbourhood. The natives have some supply of diamonds, which theysell bit by bit, and I don't doubt but they have been getting guns withthe proceeds. '

He nodded, 'Have you any notion who has been engaged in the job?'

I had it on my tongue to mention Japp, but forbore, remembering mypromise. 'I can name one, ' I said, 'a little yellow Portugoose, whocalls himself Henriques or Hendricks. He passed by here the day beforeyesterday. '

Captain Arcoll suddenly was consumed with quiet laughter. 'Did younotice the Kaffir who rode with him and carried his saddlebags? Well, he's one of my men. Henriques would have a fit if he knew what was inthose saddlebags. They contain my change of clothes, and other oddsand ends. Henriques' own stuff is in a hole in the spruit. A handyway of getting one's luggage sent on, eh? The bags are waiting for meat a place I appointed. ' And again Captain Arcoll indulged his senseof humour. Then he became grave, and returned to his examination. 

'A rising, with diamonds as the sinews of war, and Henriques as thechief agent. Well and good! But who is to lead, and what are thenatives going to rise about?'

'I know nothing further, but I have made some guesses. '

'Let's hear your guesses, ' he said, blowing smoke rings from his pipe. 

'I think the main mover is a great black minister who calls himselfJohn Laputa. '

Captain Arcoll nearly sprang out of his chair. 'Now, how on earth didyou find that out? Quick, Mr Crawfurd, tell me all you know, for thisis desperately important. '

I began at the beginning, and told him the story of what happened onthe Kirkcaple shore. Then I spoke of my sight of him on board ship, his talk with Henriques about Blaauwildebeestefontein, and his hurrieddeparture from Durban. 

Captain Arcoll listened intently, and at the mention of Durban helaughed. 'You and I seem to have been running on lines which nearlytouched. I thought I had grabbed my friend Laputa that night inDurban, but I was too cocksure and he slipped off. Do you know, MrCrawfurd, you have been on the right trail long before me? When didyou say you saw him at his devil-worship? Seven years ago? Then youwere the first man alive to know the Reverend John in his true colours. You knew seven years ago what I only found out last year. '

'Well, that's my story, ' I said. 'I don't know what the rising isabout, but there's one other thing I can tell you. There's some kindof sacred place for the Kaffirs, and I've found out where it is. ' Igave him a short account of my adventures in the Rooirand. 

He smoked silently for a bit after I had finished. 'You've got theskeleton of the whole thing right, and you only want the filling up. And you found out everything for yourself? Colles was right; you'renot wanting in intelligence, Mr Crawfurd. '

It was not much of a compliment, but I have never been more pleased inmy life. This slim, grizzled man, with his wrinkled face and brighteyes, was clearly not lavish in his praise. I felt it was no smallthing to have earned a word of commendation. 

'And now I will tell you my story, ' said Captain Arcoll. 'It is a longstory, and I must begin far back. It has taken me years to decipherit, and, remember, I've been all my life at this native business. Ican talk every dialect, and I have the customs of every tribe by heart. I've travelled over every mile of South Africa, and Central and EastAfrica too. I was in both the Matabele wars, and I've seen a heap ofother fighting which never got into the papers. So what I tell you youcan take as gospel, for it is knowledge that was not learned in a day. '

He puffed away, and then asked suddenly, 'Did you ever hear of PresterJohn?'

'The man that lived in Central Asia?' I asked, with a reminiscence of astory-book I had as a boy. 'No, no, ' said Mr Wardlaw, 'he means theKing of Abyssinia in the fifteenth century. I've been reading allabout him. He was a Christian, and the Portuguese sent expeditionafter expedition to find him, but they never got there. Albuquerquewanted to make an alliance with him and capture the Holy Sepulchre. '

Arcoll nodded. 'That's the one I mean. There's not very much knownabout him, except Portuguese legends. He was a sort of Christian, butI expect that his practices were as pagan as his neighbours'. There isno doubt that he was a great conqueror. Under him and his successors, the empire of Ethiopia extended far south of Abyssinia away down to theGreat Lakes. '

'How long did this power last?' I asked wondering to what tale this wasprologue. 

'That's a mystery no scholar has ever been able to fathom. Anyhow, thecentre of authority began to shift southward, and the warrior tribesmoved in that direction. At the end of the sixteenth century the chiefnative power was round about the Zambesi. The Mazimba and theMakaranga had come down from the Lake Nyassa quarter, and there was astrong kingdom in Manicaland. That was the Monomotapa that thePortuguese thought so much of. '

Wardlaw nodded eagerly. The story was getting into ground that he knewabout. 

'The thing to remember is that all these little empires thoughtthemselves the successors of Prester John. It took me a long time tofind this out, and I have spent days in the best libraries in Europeover it. They all looked back to a great king in the north, whom theycalled by about twenty different names. They had forgotten about hisChristianity, but they remembered that he was a conqueror. 

'Well, to make a long story short, Monomotapa disappeared in time, andfresh tribes came down from the north, and pushed right down to Nataland the Cape. That is how the Zulus first appeared. They brought withthem the story of Prester John, but by this time it had ceased to be ahistorical memory, and had become a religious cult. They worshipped agreat Power who had been their ancestor, and the favourite Zulu wordfor him was Umkulunkulu. The belief was perverted into fifty differentforms, but this was the central creed--that Umkulunkulu had been thefather of the tribe, and was alive as a spirit to watch over them. 

'They brought more than a creed with them. Somehow or other, somefetich had descended from Prester John by way of the Mazimba and Angoniand Makaranga. What it is I do not know, but it was always in thehands of the tribe which for the moment held the leadership. The greatnative wars of the sixteenth century, which you can read about in thePortuguese historians, were not for territory but for leadership, andmainly for the possession of this fetich. Anyhow, we know that theZulus brought it down with them. They called it Ndhlondhlo, whichmeans the Great Snake, but I don't suppose that it was any kind ofsnake. The snake was their totem, and they would naturally call theirmost sacred possession after it. 

'Now I will tell you a thing that few know. You have heard of Tchaka. He was a sort of black Napoleon early in the last century, and he madethe Zulus the paramount power in South Africa, slaughtering about twomillion souls to accomplish it. Well, he had the fetich, whatever itwas, and it was believed that he owed his conquests to it. Mosilikatsetried to steal it, and that was why he had to fly to Matabeleland. Butwith Tchaka it disappeared. Dingaan did not have it, nor Panda, andCetewayo never got it, though he searched the length and breadth of thecountry for it. It had gone out of existence, and with it the chanceof a Kaffir empire. '

Captain Arcoll got up to light his pipe, and I noticed that his facewas grave. He was not telling us this yarn for our amusement. 

'So much for Prester John and his charm, ' he said. 'Now I have to takeup the history at a different point. In spite of risings here andthere, and occasional rows, the Kaffirs have been quiet for the betterpart of half a century. It is no credit to us. They have had plentyof grievances, and we are no nearer understanding them than our fatherswere. But they are scattered and divided. We have driven great wedgesof white settlement into their territory, and we have taken away theirarms. Still, they are six times as many as we are, and they have longmemories, and a thoughtful man may wonder how long the peace will last. I have often asked myself that question, and till lately I used toreply, "For ever because they cannot find a leader with the properauthority, and they have no common cause to fight for. " But a year ortwo ago I began to change my mind. 

'It is my business to act as chief Intelligence officer among thenatives. Well, one day, I came on the tracks of a curious person. Hewas a Christian minister called Laputa, and he was going among thetribes from Durban to the Zambesi as a roving evangelist. I found thathe made an enormous impression, and yet the people I spoke to werechary of saying much about him. Presently I found that he preachedmore than the gospel. His word was "Africa for the Africans, " and hischief point was that the natives had had a great empire in the past, and might have a great empire again. He used to tell the story ofPrester John, with all kinds of embroidery of his own. You see, Prester John was a good argument for him, for he had been a Christianas well as a great potentate. 'For years there has been plenty of thistalk in South Africa, chiefly among Christian Kaffirs. It is what theycall "Ethiopianism, " and American negroes are the chief apostles. Formyself, I always thought the thing perfectly harmless. I don't care afig whether the native missions break away from the parent churches inEngland and call themselves by fancy names. The more freedom they havein their religious life, the less they are likely to think aboutpolitics. But I soon found out that Laputa was none of your flabbyeducated negroes from America, and I began to watch him. 

'I first came across him at a revival meeting in London, where he was agreat success. He came and spoke to me about my soul, but he gave upwhen I dropped into Zulu. The next time I met him was on the lowerLimpopo, when I had the pleasure of trying to shoot him from a boat. 'Captain Arcoll took his pipe from his mouth and laughed at therecollection. 

'I had got on to an I. D. B. Gang, and to my amazement found theevangelist among them. But the Reverend John was too much for me. Hewent overboard in spite of the crocodiles, and managed to swim belowwater to the reed bed at the side. However, that was a valuableexperience for me, for it gave me a clue. 

'I next saw him at a Missionary Conference in Cape Town, and after thatat a meeting of the Geographical Society in London, where I had a longtalk with him. My reputation does not follow me home, and he thought Iwas an English publisher with an interest in missions. You see I hadno evidence to connect him with I. D. B. , and besides I fancied that hisreal game was something bigger than that; so I just bided my time andwatched. 

'I did my best to get on to his dossier, but it was no easy job. However, I found out a few things. He had been educated in the States, and well educated too, for the man is a good scholar and a greatreader, besides the finest natural orator I have ever heard. There wasno doubt that he was of Zulu blood, but I could get no traces of hisfamily. He must come of high stock, for he is a fine figure of a man. 'Very soon I found it was no good following him in his excursions intocivilization. There he was merely the educated Kaffir; a great pet ofmissionary societies, and a favourite speaker at Church meetings. Youwill find evidence given by him in Blue-Books on native affairs, and hecounted many members of Parliament at home among his correspondents. Ilet that side go, and resolved to dog him when on his evangelizingtours in the back-veld. 

'For six months I stuck to him like a leech. I am pretty good atdisguises, and he never knew who was the broken-down old Kaffir whosquatted in the dirt at the edge of the crowd when he spoke, or thehalf-caste who called him "Sir" and drove his Cape-cart. I had somequeer adventures, but these can wait. The gist of the thing is, thatafter six months which turned my hair grey I got a glimmering of whathe was after. He talked Christianity to the mobs in the kraals, but tothe indunas[3] he told a different story. '

Captain Arcoll helped himself to a drink. 'You can guess what thatstory was, Mr Crawfurd. At full moon when the black cock was blooded, the Reverend John forgot his Christianity. He was back four centuriesamong the Mazimba sweeping down on the Zambesi. He told them, and theybelieved him, that he was the Umkulunkulu, the incarnated spirit ofPrester John. He told them that he was there to lead the African raceto conquest and empire. Ay, and he told them more: for he has, or sayshe has, the Great Snake itself, the necklet of Prester John. '

Neither of us spoke; we were too occupied with fitting this news intoour chain of knowledge. 

Captain Arcoll went on. 'Now that I knew his purpose, I set myself tofind out his preparations. It was not long before I found a mightyorganization at work from the Zambesi to the Cape. The great tribeswere up to their necks in the conspiracy, and all manner of littlesects had been taken in. I have sat at tribal councils and been sworna blood brother, and I have used the secret password to get knowledgein odd places. It was a dangerous game, and, as I have said, I had myadventures, but I came safe out of it--with my knowledge. 

'The first thing I found out was that there was a great deal of wealthsomewhere among the tribes. Much of it was in diamonds, which thelabourers stole from the mines and the chiefs impounded. Nearly everytribe had its secret chest, and our friend Laputa had the use of themall. Of course the difficulty was changing the diamonds into coin, andhe had to start I. D. B. On a big scale. Your pal, Henriques, was thechief agent for this, but he had others at Mozambique and Johannesburg, ay, and in London, whom I have on my list. With the money, guns andammunition were bought, and it seems that a pretty flourishing tradehas been going on for some time. They came in mostly overland throughPortuguese territory, though there have been cases of consignments toJohannesburg houses, the contents of which did not correspond with theinvoice. You ask what the Governments were doing to let this go on. Yes, and you may well ask. They were all asleep. They never dreamedof danger from the natives, and in any case it was difficult to policethe Portuguese side. Laputa knew our weakness, and he stakedeverything on it. 

'My first scheme was to lay Laputa by the heels; but no Governmentwould act on my information. The man was strongly buttressed by publicsupport at home, and South Africa has burned her fingers before thiswith arbitrary arrests. Then I tried to fasten I. D. B. On him, but Icould not get my proofs till too late. I nearly had him in Durban, buthe got away; and he never gave me a second chance. For five months heand Henriques have been lying low, because their scheme was gettingvery ripe. I have been following them through Zululand and Gazaland, and I have discovered that the train is ready, and only wants thematch. For a month I have never been more than five hours behind himon the trail; and if he has laid his train, I have laid mine also. '

Arcoll's whimsical, humorous face had hardened into grimness, and inhis eyes there was the light of a fierce purpose. The sight of himcomforted me, in spite of his tale. 

'But what can he hope to do?' I asked. 'Though he roused every Kaffirin South Africa he would be beaten. You say he is an educated man. Hemust know he has no chance in the long run. '

'I said he was an educated man, but he is also a Kaffir. He can seethe first stage of a thing, and maybe the second, but no more. That isthe native mind. If it was not like that our chance would be theworse. '

'You say the scheme is ripe, ' I said; 'how ripe?'

Arcoll looked at the clock. 'In half an hour's time Laputa will bewith 'Mpefu. There he will stay the night. To-morrow morning he goesto Umvelos' to meet Henriques. To-morrow evening the gathering begins. '

'One question, ' I said. 'How big a man is Laputa?'

'The biggest thing that the Kaffirs have ever produced. I tell you, inmy opinion he is a great genius. If he had been white he might havebeen a second Napoleon. He is a born leader of men, and as brave as alion. There is no villainy he would not do if necessary, and yet Ishould hesitate to call him a blackguard. Ay, you may look surprisedat me, you two pragmatical Scotsmen; but I have, so to speak, livedwith the man for months, and there's fineness and nobility in him. Hewould be a terrible enemy, but a just one. He has the heart of a poetand a king, and it is God's curse that he has been born among thechildren of Ham. I hope to shoot him like a dog in a day or two, but Iam glad to bear testimony to his greatness. '

'If the rising starts to-morrow, ' I asked, 'have you any of his plans?'

He picked up a map from the table and opened it. 'The first rendezvousis somewhere near Sikitola's. Then they move south, picking upcontingents; and the final concentration is to be on the high veld nearAmsterdam, which is convenient for the Swazis and the Zulus. Afterthat I know nothing, but of course there are local concentrations alongthe whole line of the Berg from Mashonaland to Basutoland. Now, lookhere. To get to Amsterdam they must cross the Delagoa Bay Railway. Well, they won't be allowed to. If they get as far, they will bescattered there. As I told you, I too have laid my train. We have thepolice ready all along the scarp of the Berg. Every exit from nativeterritory is watched, and the frontier farmers are out on commando. Wehave regulars on the Delagoa Bay and Natal lines, and a system of fieldtelegraphs laid which can summon further troops to any point. It hasall been kept secret, because we are still in the dark ourselves. Thenewspaper public knows nothing about any rising, but in two days everywhite household in South Africa will be in a panic. Make no mistake, Mr Crawfurd; this is a grim business. We shall smash Laputa and hismen, but it will be a fierce fight, and there will be much good bloodshed. Besides, it will throw the country back another half-century. Would to God I had been man enough to put a bullet through his head incold blood. But I could not do it--it was too like murder; and maybe Ishall never have the chance now. '

'There's one thing puzzles me, ' I said. 'What makes Laputa come uphere to start with? Why doesn't he begin with Zululand?'

'God knows! There's sure to be sense in it, for he does nothingwithout reason. We may know to-morrow. '

But as Captain Arcoll spoke, the real reason suddenly flashed into mymind: Laputa had to get the Great Snake, the necklet of Prester John, to give his leadership prestige. Apparently he had not yet got it, orArcoll would have known. He started from this neighbourhood becausethe fetich was somewhere hereabouts. I was convinced that my guess wasright, but I kept my own counsel. 

'To-morrow Laputa and Henriques meet at Umvelos', probably at your newstore, Mr Crawfurd. And so the ball commences. '

My resolution was suddenly taken. 

'I think, ' I said, 'I had better be present at the meeting, asrepresenting the firm. '

Captain Arcoll stared at me and laughed. 'I had thought of goingmyself, ' he said. 

'Then you go to certain death, disguise yourself as you please. Youcannot meet them in the store as I can. I'm there on my ordinarybusiness, and they will never suspect. If you're to get any news, I'mthe man to go. '

He looked at me steadily for a minute or so. 'I'm not sure that's sucha bad idea of yours. I would be better employed myself on the Berg, and, as you say, I would have little chance of hearing anything. You're a plucky fellow, Mr Crawfurd. I suppose you understand that therisk is pretty considerable. '

'I suppose I do; but since I'm in this thing, I may as well see it out. Besides, I've an old quarrel with our friend Laputa. '

'Good and well, ' said Captain Arcoll. 'Draw in your chair to thetable, then, and I'll explain to you the disposition of my men. Ishould tell you that I have loyal natives in my pay in most tribes, andcan count on early intelligence. We can't match their telepathy; butthe new type of field telegraph is not so bad, and may be a trifle morereliable. '

Till midnight we pored over maps, and certain details were burned in onmy memory. Then we went to bed and slept soundly, even Mr Wardlaw. Itwas strange how fear had gone from the establishment, now that we knewthe worst and had a fighting man by our side. 

[1] Hemp. 

[2] Council. 

[3] Lesser chiefs. 

CHAPTER VIII

I FALL IN AGAIN WITH THE REVEREND JOHN LAPUTA

Once, as a boy, I had earnestly desired to go into the army, and hadhopes of rising to be a great general. Now that I know myself better, I do not think I would have been much good at a general's work. Iwould have shirked the loneliness of it, the isolation ofresponsibility. But I think I would have done well in a subalterncommand, for I had a great notion of carrying out orders, and a certainzest in the mere act of obedience. Three days before I had been asnervous as a kitten because I was alone and it was 'up to me, ' asAmericans say, to decide on the next step. But now that I was only onewheel in a great machine of defence my nervousness seemed to have fled. I was well aware that the mission I was bound on was full of risk; but, to my surprise, I felt no fear. Indeed, I had much the same feeling asa boy on a Saturday's holiday who has planned a big expedition. Onething only I regretted--that Tam Dyke was not with me to see the fun. The thought of that faithful soul, now beating somewhere on the seas, made me long for his comradeship. As I shaved, I remember wondering ifI would ever shave again, and the thought gave me no tremors. For oncein my sober life I was strung up to the gambler's pitch of adventure. 

My job was to go to Umvelos' as if on my ordinary business, and ifpossible find out something of the evening's plan of march. Thequestion was how to send back a message to Arcoll, assuming I had anydifficulty in getting away. At first this puzzled us both, and then Ithought of Colin. I had trained the dog to go home at my bidding, foroften when I used to go hunting I would have occasion to visit a kraalwhere he would have been a nuisance. Accordingly, I resolved to takeColin with me, and, if I got into trouble, to send word by him. 

I asked about Laputa's knowledge of our preparations. Arcoll wasinclined to think that he suspected little. The police and thecommandos had been kept very secret, and, besides, they were moving onthe high veld and out of the ken of the tribes. Natives, he told me, were not good scouts so far as white man's work was concerned, for theydid not understand the meaning of what we did. On the other hand, hisown native scouts brought him pretty accurate tidings of any Kaffirmovements. He thought that all the bush country of the plain would beclosely watched, and that no one would get through without some kind ofpass. But he thought also that the storekeeper might be an exception, for his presence would give rise to no suspicions. Almost his lastwords to me were to come back hell-for-leather if I saw the game washopeless, and in any case to leave as soon as I got any news. 'Ifyou're there when the march begins, ' he said, 'they'll cut your throatfor a certainty. ' I had all the various police posts on the Berg clearin my mind, so that I would know where to make for if the road toBlaauwildebeestefontein should be closed. 

I said good-bye to Arcoll and Wardlaw with a light heart, though theschoolmaster broke down and implored me to think better of it. As Iturned down into the gorge I heard the sound of horses' feet farbehind, and, turning back, saw white riders dismounting at the dorp. At any rate I was leaving the country well guarded in my rear. 

It was a fine morning in mid-winter, and I was in very good spirits asI jogged on my pony down the steep hill-road, with Colin running besideme. A month before I had taken the same journey, with no suspicion inmy head of what the future was to bring. I thought about my Dutchcompanions, now with their cattle far out on the plains. Did they knowof the great danger, I wondered. All the way down the glen I saw nosign of human presence. The game-birds mocked me from the thicket; abrace of white berghaan circled far up in the blue; and I had forpleasant comrade the brawling river. I dismounted once to drink, andin that green haven of flowers and ferns I was struck sharply with asense of folly. Here were we wretched creatures of men making for eachother's throats, and outraging the good earth which God had made sofair a habitation. 

I had resolved on a short cut to Umvelos', avoiding the neighbourhoodof Sikitola's kraal, so when the river emerged from the glen I crossedit and struck into the bush. I had not gone far before I realized thatsomething strange was going on. It was like the woods on the Berg aweek before. I had the impression of many people moving in the bush, and now and then I caught a glimpse of them. My first thought was thatI should be stopped, but soon it appeared that these folk had businessof their own which did not concern me. I was conscious of beingwatched, yet it was clear that the bush folk were not there for thepurpose of watching me. 

For a little I kept my spirits, but as the hours passed with the sameuncanny hurrying to and fro all about me my nerves began to suffer. Weeks of espionage at Blaauwildebeestefontein had made me jumpy. Thesepeople apparently meant me no ill, and had no time to spare on me, Butthe sensation of moving through them was like walking on a black-darknight with precipices all around. I felt odd quiverings between myshoulder blades where a spear might be expected to lodge. Overhead wasa great blue sky and a blazing sun, and I could see the path runningclear before me between the walls of scrub. But it was like midnightto me, a midnight of suspicion and unknown perils. I began to wishheartily I had never come. 

I stopped for my midday meal at a place called Taqui, a grassy glade inthe bush where a tiny spring of water crept out from below a big stone, only to disappear in the sand. Here I sat and smoked for half an hour, wondering what was going to become of me. The air was very still, butI could hear the rustle of movement somewhere within a hundred yards. The hidden folk were busy about their own ends, and I regretted that Ihad not taken the road by Sikitola's and seen how the kraals looked. They must be empty now, for the young men were already out on somemission. So nervous I got that I took my pocket-book and wrote downcertain messages to my mother, which I implored whoever should find mybody to transmit. Then, a little ashamed of my childishness, I pulledmyself together, and remounted. 

About three in the afternoon I came over a low ridge of bush and sawthe corrugated iron roof of the store and the gleam of water from theLabongo. The sight encouraged me, for at any rate it meant the end ofthis disquieting ride. Here the bush changed to trees of some size, and after leaving the ridge the road plunged for a little into a thickshade. I had forgotten for a moment the folk in the bush, and when aman stepped out of the thicket I pulled up my horse with a start. 

It was a tall native, who carried himself proudly, and after a glanceat me, stalked along at my side. He wore curious clothes, for he had akind of linen tunic, and around his waist hung a kilt of leopard-skin. In such a man one would have looked for a ting-kop, [1] but instead hehad a mass of hair, not like a Kaffir's wool, but long and curled likesome popular musician's. I should have been prepared for the face, butthe sight of it sent a sudden chill of fright through my veins. Forthere was the curved nose, the deep flashing eyes, and the cruel lipsof my enemy of the Kirkcaple shore. 

Colin was deeply suspicious and followed his heels growling, but henever turned his head. 

'The day is warm, father, ' I said in Kaffir. 'Do you go far?'

He slackened his pace till he was at my elbow. 'But a short way, Baas, ' he replied in English; 'I go to the store yonder. '

'Well met, then, ' said I, 'for I am the storekeeper. You will findlittle in it, for it is newly built and not yet stocked. I have riddenover to see to it. '

He turned his face to me. 'That is bad news. I had hoped for food anddrink yonder. I have travelled far, and in the chill nights I desire acover for my head. Will the Baas allow me to sleep the night in anouthouse?'

By this time I had recovered my nerve, and was ready to play the part Ihad determined on. 'Willingly, ' I said. 'You may sleep in thestoreroom if you care. You will find sacks for bedding, and the placeis snug enough on a cold night. '

He thanked me with a grave dignity which I had never seen in anyKaffir. As my eye fell on his splendid proportions I forgot all elsein my admiration of the man. In his minister's clothes he had lookedonly a heavily built native, but now in his savage dress I saw hownoble a figure he made. He must have been at least six feet and ahalf, but his chest was so deep and his shoulders so massive that onedid not remark his height. He put a hand on my saddle, and I remembernoting how slim and fine it was, more like a high-bred woman's than aman's. Curiously enough he filled me with a certain confidence. 

'I do not think you will cut my throat, ' I said to myself. 'Your gameis too big for common murder. '

The store at Umvelos' stood as I had left it. There was the sjambok Ihad forgotten still lying on the window sill. I unlocked the door, anda stifling smell of new paint came out to meet me. Inside there wasnothing but the chairs and benches, and in a corner the pots and pans Ihad left against my next visit. I unlocked the cupboard and got out afew stores, opened the windows of the bedroom next door, and flung mykaross on the cartel which did duty as bed. Then I went out to findLaputa standing patiently in the sunshine. 

I showed him the outhouse where I had said he might sleep. It was thelargest room in the store, but wholly unfurnished. A pile of barrelsand packing-cases stood in the corner, and there was enough sacking tomake a sort of bed. 

'I am going to make tea, ' I said. 'If you have come far you wouldmaybe like a cup?'

He thanked me, and I made a fire in the grate and put on the kettle toboil. Then I set on the table biscuits, and sardines, and a pot ofjam. It was my business now to play the fool, and I believe Isucceeded to admiration in the part. I blush to-day to think of thestuff I talked. First I made him sit on a chair opposite me, a thingno white man in the country would have done. Then I told himaffectionately that I liked natives, that they were fine fellows andbetter men than the dirty whites round about. I explained that I wasfresh from England, and believed in equal rights for all men, white orcoloured. God forgive me, but I think I said I hoped to see the daywhen Africa would belong once more to its rightful masters. 

He heard me with an impassive face, his grave eyes studying every lineof me. I am bound to add that he made a hearty meal, and drank threecups of strong tea of my brewing. I gave him a cigar, one of a lot Ihad got from a Dutch farmer who was experimenting with theirmanufacture--and all the while I babbled of myself and my opinions. Hemust have thought me half-witted, and indeed before long I began to beof the same opinion myself. I told him that I meant to sleep the nighthere, and go back in the morning to Blaauwildebeestefontein, and thento Pietersdorp for stores. By-and-by I could see that he had ceased topay any attention to what I said. I was clearly set down in his mindas a fool. Instead he kept looking at Colin, who was lying blinking inthe doorway, one wary eye cocked on the stranger. 

'You have a fine dog, ' he observed. 

'Yes, ' I agreed, with one final effort of mendacity, 'he's fine to lookat, but he has no grit in him. Any mongrel from a kraal can make himturn tail. Besides, he is a born fool and can't find his way home. I'm thinking of getting rid of him. '

Laputa rose and his eye fell on the dog's back. I could see that hesaw the lie of his coat, and that he did not agree with me. 

'The food was welcome, Baas, ' he said. 'If you will listen to me I canrepay hospitality with advice. You are a stranger here. Troublecomes, and if you are wise you will go back to the Berg. '

'I don't know what you mean, ' I said, with an air of cheerful idiocy. 'But back to the Berg I go the first thing in the morning. I hatethese stinking plains. '

'It were wise to go to-night, ' he said, with a touch of menace in histone. 

'I can't, ' I said, and began to sing the chorus of a ridiculousmusic-hall song--

 'There's no place like home--but I'm afraid to go home in the dark. '

Laputa shrugged his shoulders, stepped over the bristling Colin, andwent out. When I looked after him two minutes later he had disappeared. 

[1] The circlet into which, with the aid of gum, Zulu warriors weavetheir hair. 

CHAPTER IX

THE STORE AT UMVELOS'

I sat down on a chair and laboured to collect my thoughts. Laputa hadgone, and would return sooner or later with Henriques. If I was toremain alive till morning, both of them must be convinced that I washarmless. Laputa was probably of that opinion, but Henriques wouldrecognize me, and I had no wish to have that yellow miscreantinvestigating my character. There was only one way out of it--I must beincapably drunk. There was not a drop of liquor in the store, but Ifound an old whisky bottle half full of methylated spirits. With thisI thought I might raise an atmosphere of bad whisky, and for the rest Imust trust to my meagre gifts as an actor. 

Supposing I escaped suspicion, Laputa and Henriques would meet in theouthouse, and I must find some means of overhearing them. Here I wasfairly baffled. There was no window in the outhouse save in the roof, and they were sure to shut and bolt the door. I might conceal myselfamong the barrels inside; but apart from the fact that they were likelyto search them before beginning their conference, it was quite certainthat they would satisfy themselves that I was safe in the other end ofthe building before going to the outhouse. 

Suddenly I thought of the cellar which we had built below the store. There was an entrance by a trap-door behind the counter, and another inthe outhouse. I had forgotten the details, but my hope was that thesecond was among the barrels. I shut the outer door, prised up thetrap, and dropped into the vault, which had been floored roughly withgreen bricks. Lighting match after match, I crawled to the other endand tried to lift the door. It would not stir, so I guessed that thebarrels were on the top of it. Back to the outhouse I went, and foundthat sure enough a heavy packing-case was standing on a corner. Ifixed it slightly open, so as to let me hear, and so arranged the oddsand ends round about it that no one looking from the floor of theouthouse would guess at its existence. It occurred to me that theconspirators would want seats, so I placed two cases at the edge of theheap, that they might not be tempted to forage in the interior. 

This done, I went back to the store and proceeded to rig myself out formy part. The cellar had made me pretty dirty, and I added some newdaubs to my face. My hair had grown longish, and I ran my handsthrough it till it stood up like a cockatoo's crest. Then I cunninglydisposed the methylated spirits in the places most likely to smell. Iburned a little on the floor, I spilt some on the counter and on myhands, and I let it dribble over my coat. In five minutes I had madethe room stink like a shebeen. I loosened the collar of my shirt, andwhen I looked at myself in the cover of my watch I saw a specimen ofdebauchery which would have done credit to a Saturday night's policecell. 

By this time the sun had gone down, but I thought it better to kindleno light. It was the night of the full moon--for which reason, Isupposed, Laputa had selected it--and in an hour or two the world wouldbe lit with that ghostly radiance. I sat on the counter while theminutes passed, and I confess I found the time of waiting very tryingfor my courage. I had got over my worst nervousness by havingsomething to do, but whenever I was idle my fears returned. Laputa hada big night's work before him, and must begin soon. My vigil, I toldmyself, could not be long. 

My pony was stalled in a rough shed we had built opposite the store. Icould hear him shaking his head and stamping the ground above thecroaking of the frogs by the Labongo. Presently it seemed to me thatanother sound came from behind the store--the sound of horses' feet andthe rattle of bridles. It was hushed for a moment, and then I heardhuman voices. The riders had tied up their horses to a tree and werecoming nearer. 

I sprawled gracefully on the counter, the empty bottle in my hand, andmy eyes fixed anxiously on the square of the door, which was filledwith the blue glimmer of the late twilight. The square darkened, andtwo men peered in. Colin growled from below the counter, but with onehand I held the scruff of his neck. 

'Hullo, ' I said, 'ish that my black friend? Awfly shorry, old man, butI've f'nish'd th' whisky. The bo-o-ottle shempty, ' and I waved itupside down with an imbecile giggle. 

Laputa said something which I did not catch. Henriques laughed an uglylaugh. 

'We had better make certain of him, ' he said. 

The two argued for a minute, and then Laputa seemed to prevail. Thedoor was shut and the key, which I had left in the lock, turned on me. 

I gave them five minutes to get to the outhouse and settle to business. Then I opened the trap, got into the cellar, and crawled to the otherend. A ray of light was coming through the partially raised door. Bya blessed chance some old bricks had been left behind, and of these Imade a footstool, which enabled me to get my back level with the doorand look out. My laager of barrels was intact, but through a gap I hadleft I could see the two men sitting on the two cases I had providedfor them. A lantern was set between them, and Henriques was drinkingout of a metal flask. 

He took something--I could not see what--out of his pocket, and held itbefore his companion. 

'Spoils of war, ' he said. 'I let Sikitola's men draw first blood. Theyneeded it to screw up their courage. Now they are as wild as Umbooni's. 

Laputa asked a question. 

'It was the Dutchmen, who were out on the Koodoo Flats with theircattle. Man, it's no good being squeamish. Do you think you can talkover these surly back-veld fools? If we had not done it, the best oftheir horses would now be over the Berg to give warning. Besides, Itell you, Sikitola's men wanted blooding. I did for the old swine, Coetzee, with my own hands. Once he set his dogs on me, and I don'tforget an injury. '

Laputa must have disapproved, for Henriques' voice grew high. 

'Run the show the way you please, ' he cried; 'but don't blame me if youmake a hash of it. God, man, do you think you are going to work arevolution on skim milk? If I had my will, I would go in and stick aknife in the drunken hog next door. '

'He is safe enough, ' Laputa replied. 'I gave him the chance of life, and he laughed at me. He won't get far on his road home. '

This was pleasant hearing for me, but I scarcely thought of myself. Iwas consumed with a passion of fury against the murdering yellow devil. With Laputa I was not angry; he was an open enemy, playing a fair game. But my fingers itched to get at the Portugoose--that double-dyedtraitor to his race. As I thought of my kindly old friends, lyingbutchered with their kinsfolk out in the bush, hot tears of rage cameto my eyes. Perfect love casteth out fear, the Bible says; but, tospeak it reverently, so does perfect hate. Not for safety and a king'sransom would I have drawn back from the game. I prayed for one thingonly, that God in His mercy would give me the chance of settling withHenriques. 

I fancy I missed some of the conversation, being occupied with my ownpassion. At any rate, when I next listened the two were deep in plans. Maps were spread beside them, and Laputa's delicate forefinger wastracing a route. I strained my ears, but could catch only a few names. Apparently they were to keep in the plains till they had crossed theKlein Labongo and the Letaba. I thought I caught the name of the fordof the latter; it sounded like Dupree's Drift. After that the talkbecame plainer, for Laputa was explaining in his clear voice. The forcewould leave the bush, ascend the Berg by the glen of the Groot Letaba, and the first halt would be called at a place called Inanda's Kraal, where a promontory of the high-veld juts out behind the peaks calledthe Wolkberg or Cloud Mountains. All this was very much to the point, and the names sunk into my memory like a die into wax. 

'Meanwhile, ' said Laputa, 'there is the gathering at Ntabakaikonjwa. [1]It will take us three hours' hard riding to get there. '

Where on earth was Ntabakaikonjwa? It must be the native name for theRooirand, for after all Laputa was not likely to use the Dutch word forhis own sacred place. 

'Nothing has been forgotten. The men are massed below the cliffs, andthe chiefs and the great indunas will enter the Place of the Snake. The door will be guarded, and only the password will get a man through. That word is "Immanuel, " which means, "God with us. "'

'Well, when we get there, what happens?' Henriques asked with a laugh. 'What kind of magic will you spring on us?'

There was a strong contrast between the flippant tone of the Portugooseand the grave voice which answered him. 

'The Keeper of the Snake will open the holy place, and bring forth theIsetembiso sami. [2] As the leader of my people, I will assume thecollar of Umkulunkulu in the name of our God and the spirits of thegreat dead. '

'But you don't propose to lead the march in a necklace of rubies, ' saidHenriques, with a sudden eagerness in his voice. 

Again Laputa spoke gravely, and, as it were, abstractedly. I heard thevoice of one whose mind was fixed on a far horizon. 

'When I am acclaimed king, I restore the Snake to its Keeper, and swearnever to clasp it on my neck till I have led my people to victory. '

'I see, ' said Henriques. 'What about the purification you mentioned?'

I had missed this before and listened earnestly. 

'The vows we take in the holy place bind us till we are purged of themat Inanda's Kraal. Till then no blood must be shed and no flesh eaten. It was the fashion of our forefathers. '

'Well, I think you've taken on a pretty risky job, ' Henriques said. 'You propose to travel a hundred miles, binding yourself not to strikea blow. It is simply putting yourself at the mercy of any policepatrol. '

'There will be no patrol, ' Laputa replied. 'Our march will be assecret and as swift as death. I have made my preparations. '

'But suppose you met with opposition, ' the Portugoose persisted, 'wouldthe rule hold?'

'If any try to stop us, we shall tie them hand and foot, and carry themwith us. Their fate will be worse than if they had been slain inbattle. '

'I see, ' said Henriques, whistling through his teeth. 'Well, before westart this vow business, I think I'll go back and settle thatstorekeeper. '

Laputa shook his head. 'Will you be serious and hear me? We have notime to knife harmless fools. Before we start for Ntabakaikonjwa Imust have from you the figures of the arming in the south. That is theone thing which remains to be settled. '

I am certain these figures would have been most interesting, but Inever heard them. My feet were getting cramped with standing on thebricks, and I inadvertently moved them. The bricks came down with arattle, and unfortunately in slipping I clutched at the trap. This wastoo much for my frail prop, and the door slammed down with a greatnoise. 

Here was a nice business for the eavesdropper! I scurried along thepassage as stealthily as I could and clambered back into the store, while I heard the sound of Laputa and Henriques ferreting among thebarrels. I managed to throttle Colin and prevent him barking, but Icould not get the confounded trap to close behind me. Something hadjammed in it, and it remained half a foot open. 

I heard the two approaching the door, and I did the best thing thatoccurred to me. I pulled Colin over the trap, rolled on the top ofhim, and began to snore heavily as if in a drunken slumber. 

The key was turned, and the gleam of a lantern was thrown on the wall. It flew up and down as its bearer cast the light into the corners. 

'By God, he's gone, ' I heard Henriques say. 'The swine was listening, and he has bolted now. '

'He won't bolt far, ' Laputa said. 'He is here. He is snoring behindthe counter. '

These were anxious moments for me. I had a firm grip on Colin'sthroat, but now and then a growl escaped, which was fortunately blendedwith my snores. I felt that a lantern was flashed on me, and that thetwo men were peering down at the heap on the half-opened trap. I thinkthat was the worst minute I ever spent, for, as I have said, my couragewas not so bad in action, but in a passive game it oozed out of myfingers. 

'He is safe enough, ' Laputa said, after what seemed to me an eternity. 'The noise was only the rats among the barrels. ' I thanked my Makerthat they had not noticed the other trap-door. 'All the same I thinkI'll make him safer, ' said Henriques. 

Laputa seemed to have caught him by the arm. 

'Come back and get to business, ' he said. 'I've told you I'll have nomore murder. You will do as I tell you, Mr Henriques. '

I did not catch the answer, but the two went out and locked the door. I patted the outraged Colin, and got to my feet with an aching sidewhere the confounded lid of the trap had been pressing. There was notime to lose for the two in the outhouse would soon be setting out, andI must be before them. 

With no better light than a ray of the moon through the window, I wrotea message on a leaf from my pocket-book. I told of the plans I hadoverheard, and especially I mentioned Dupree's Drift on the Letaba. Iadded that I was going to the Rooirand to find the secret of the cave, and in one final sentence implored Arcoll to do justice on thePortugoose. That was all, for I had no time for more. I carefullytied the paper with a string below the collar of the dog. 

Then very quietly I went into the bedroom next door--the side of thestore farthest from the outhouse. The place was flooded withmoonlight, and the window stood open, as I had left it in theafternoon. As softly as I could I swung Colin over the sill andclambered after him. In my haste I left my coat behind me with mypistol in the pocket. 

Now came a check. My horse was stabled in the shed, and that was closeto the outhouse. The sound of leading him out would most certainlybring Laputa and Henriques to the door. In that moment I all butchanged my plans. I thought of slipping back to the outhouse andtrying to shoot the two men as they came forth. But I reflected that, before I could get them both, one or other would probably shoot me. Besides, I had a queer sort of compunction about killing Laputa. Iunderstood now why Arcoll had stayed his hand from murder, and I wasbeginning to be of his opinion on our arch-enemy. 

Then I remembered the horses tied up in the bush. One of them I couldget with perfect safety. I ran round the end of the store and into thethicket, keeping on soft grass to dull my tread. There, tied up to amerula tree, were two of the finest beasts I had seen in Africa. Iselected the better, an Africander stallion of the blaauw-schimmel, orblue-roan type, which is famous for speed and endurance. Slipping hisbridle from the branch, I led him a little way into the bush in thedirection of the Rooirand. 

Then I spoke to Colin. 'Home with you, ' I said. 'Home, old man, as ifyou were running down a tsessebe. '[3]

The dog seemed puzzled. 'Home, ' I said again, pointing west in thedirection of the Berg. 'Home, you brute. '

And then he understood. He gave one low whine, and cast a reproachfuleye on me and the blue roan. Then he turned, and with his head downset off with great lopes on the track of the road I had ridden in themorning. 

A second later and I was in the saddle, riding hell-for-leather for thenorth. 

[1] Literally, 'The Hill which is not to be pointed at'. 

[2] Literally, 'Very sacred thing'. 

[3] A species of buck, famous for its speed. 

CHAPTER X

I GO TREASURE-HUNTING

For a mile or so I kept the bush, which was open and easy to ridethrough, and then turned into the path. The moon was high, and theworld was all a dim dark green, with the track a golden ivory bandbefore me. I had looked at my watch before I started, and seen that itwas just after eight o'clock. I had a great horse under me, and lessthan thirty miles to cover. Midnight should see me at the cave. Withthe password I would gain admittance, and there would wait for Laputaand Henriques. Then, if my luck held, I should see the inner workingsof the mystery which had puzzled me ever since the Kirkcaple shore. Nodoubt I should be roughly treated, tied up prisoner, and carried withthe army when the march began. But till Inanda's Kraal my life wassafe, and before that came the ford of the Letaba. Colin would carrymy message to Arcoll, and at the Drift the tables would be turned onLaputa's men. 

Looking back in cold blood, it seems the craziest chain of accidents tocount on for preservation. A dozen possibilities might have shatteredany link of it. The password might be wrong, or I might never get thelength of those who knew it. The men in the cave might butcher me outof hand, or Laputa might think my behaviour a sufficient warrant forthe breach of the solemnest vow. Colin might never get toBlaauwildebeestefontein, Laputa might change his route of march, orArcoll's men might fail to hold the Drift. Indeed, the other day atPortincross I was so overcome by the recollection of the perils I haddared and God's goodness towards me that I built a new hall for theparish kirk as a token of gratitude. 

Fortunately for mankind the brain in a life of action turns more to thematter in hand than to conjuring up the chances of the future. Certainly it was in no discomfort of mind that I swung along themoonlit path to the north. Truth to tell, I was almost happy. Thefirst honours in the game had fallen to me. I knew more about Laputathan any man living save Henriques; I had my finger on the centralpulse of the rebellion. There was hid treasure ahead of me--a greatnecklace of rubies, Henriques had said. Nay, there must be more, Iargued. This cave of the Rooirand was the headquarters of the rising, and there must be stored their funds--diamonds, and the gold they hadbeen bartered for. I believe that every man has deep in his soul apassion for treasure-hunting, which will often drive a coward intoprodigies of valour. I lusted for that treasure of jewels and gold. Once I had been high-minded, and thought of my duty to my country, butin that night ride I fear that what I thought of was my duty to enrichDavid Crawfurd. One other purpose simmered in my head. I was devouredwith wrath against Henriques. Indeed, I think that was the strongestmotive for my escapade, for even before I heard Laputa tell of the vowsand the purification, I had it in my mind to go at all costs to thecave. I am a peaceable man at most times, but I think I would ratherhave had the Portugoose's throat in my hands than the collar of PresterJohn. 

But behind my thoughts was one master-feeling, that Providence hadgiven me my chance and I must make the most of it. Perhaps theCalvinism of my father's preaching had unconsciously taken grip of mysoul. At any rate I was a fatalist in creed, believing that what waswilled would happen, and that man was but a puppet in the hands of hisMaker. I looked on the last months as a clear course which had beenmapped out for me. Not for nothing had I been given a clue to thestrange events which were coming. It was foreordained that I should goalone to Umvelos', and in the promptings of my own fallible heart Ibelieved I saw the workings of Omnipotence. Such is our moralarrogance, and yet without such a belief I think that mankind wouldhave ever been content to bide sluggishly at home. 

I passed the spot where on my former journey I had met the horses, andknew that I had covered more than half the road. My ear had been alertfor the sound of pursuit, but the bush was quiet as the grave. The manwho rode my pony would find him a slow traveller, and I pitied the poorbeast bucketed along by an angry rider. Gradually a hazy wall ofpurple began to shimmer before me, apparently very far off. I knew theramparts of the Rooirand, and let my Schimmel feel my knees in hisribs. Within an hour I should be at the cliff's foot. 

I had trusted for safety to the password, but as it turned out I owedmy life mainly to my horse. For, a mile or so from the cliffs, I cameto the fringes of a great army. The bush was teeming with men, and Isaw horses picketed in bunches, and a multitude of Cape-carts and lightwagons. It was like a colossal gathering for naachtmaal[1] at a Dutchdorp, but every man was black. I saw through a corner of my eye thatthey were armed with guns, though many carried in addition their spearsand shields. Their first impulse was to stop me. I saw guns fly toshoulders, and a rush towards the path. The boldest game was thesafest, so I dug my heels into the schimmel and shouted for a passage. 'Make way!' I cried in Kaffir. 'I bear a message from the Inkulu. [2]Clear out, you dogs!'

They recognized the horse, and fell back with a salute. Had I butknown it, the beast was famed from the Zambesi to the Cape. It wastheir king's own charger I rode, and who dared question such a warrant?I heard the word pass through the bush, and all down the road I got thesalute. In that moment I fervently thanked my stars that I had gotaway first, for there would have been no coming second for me. 

At the cliff-foot I found a double line of warriors who had theappearance of a royal guard, for all were tall men with leopard-skincloaks. Their rifle-barrels glinted in the moon-light, and the sightsent a cold shiver down my back. Above them, among the scrub and alongthe lower slopes of the kranzes, I could see further lines with thesame gleaming weapons. The Place of the Snake was in strong hands thatnight. 

I dismounted and called for a man to take my horse. Two of the guardsstepped forward in silence and took the bridle. This left the track tothe cave open, and with as stiff a back as I could command, but a sadlyfluttering heart, I marched through the ranks. 

The path was lined with guards, all silent and rigid as graven images. As I stumbled over the stones I felt that my appearance scarcely fittedthe dignity of a royal messenger. Among those splendid men-at-arms Ishambled along in old breeches and leggings, hatless, with a dirtyface, dishevelled hair, and a torn flannel shirt. My mind was nobetter than my body, for now that I had arrived I found my couragegone. Had it been possible I would have turned tail and fled, but theboats were burned behind me, and I had no choice. I cursed my rashfolly, and wondered at my exhilaration of an hour ago. I was goinginto the black mysterious darkness, peopled by ten thousand cruel foes. My knees rubbed against each other, and I thought that no man had everbeen in more deadly danger. 

At the entrance to the gorge the guards ceased and I went on alone. Here there was no moonlight, and I had to feel my way by the sides. Imoved very slowly, wondering how soon I should find the end my follydemanded. The heat of the ride had gone, and I remember feeling myshirt hang clammily on my shoulders. 

Suddenly a hand was laid on my breast, and a voice demanded, 'The word?'

'Immanuel, ' I said hoarsely. 

Then unseen hands took both my arms, and I was led farther into thedarkness. My hopes revived for a second. The password had provedtrue, and at any rate I should enter the cave. 

In the darkness I could see nothing, but I judged that we stoppedbefore the stone slab which, as I remembered, filled the extreme end ofthe gorge. My guide did something with the right-hand wall, and I feltmyself being drawn into a kind of passage. It was so narrow that twocould not go abreast, and so low that the creepers above scraped myhair. Something clicked behind me like the turnstile at the gate of ashow. 

Then we began to ascend steps, still in utter darkness, and a greatbooming fell on my ear. It was the falling river which had scared meon my former visit, and I marvelled that I had not heard it sooner. Presently we came out into a gleam of moonlight, and I saw that we wereinside the gorge and far above the slab. We followed a narrow shelf onits left side (or 'true right', as mountaineers would call it) until wecould go no farther. Then we did a terrible thing. Across the gorge, which here was at its narrowest, stretched a slab of stone. Far, farbelow I caught the moonlight on a mass of hurrying waters. This was ourbridge, and though I have a good head for crags, I confess I grew dizzyas we turned to cross it. Perhaps it was broader than it looked; atany rate my guides seemed to have no fear, and strode across it as ifit was a highway, while I followed in a sweat of fright. Once on theother side, I was handed over to a second pair of guides, who led medown a high passage running into the heart of the mountain. 

The boom of the river sank and rose as the passage twined. Soon I saw agleam of light ahead which was not the moon. It grew larger, untilsuddenly the roof rose and I found myself in a gigantic chamber. Sohigh it was that I could not make out anything of the roof, though theplace was brightly lit with torches stuck round the wall, and a greatfire which burned at the farther end. But the wonder was on the leftside, where the floor ceased in a chasm. The left wall was one sheetof water, where the river fell from the heights into the infinitedepth, below. The torches and the fire made the sheer stream glow andsparkle like the battlements of the Heavenly City. I have never seenany sight so beautiful or so strange, and for a second my breathstopped in admiration. 

There were two hundred men or more in the chamber, but so huge was theplace that they seemed only a little company. They sat on the ground ina circle, with their eyes fixed on the fire and on a figure which stoodbefore it. The glow revealed the old man I had seen on that morning amonth before moving towards the cave. He stood as if in a trance, straight as a tree, with his arms crossed on his breast. A robe ofsome shining white stuff fell from his shoulders, and was clasped roundhis middle by a broad circle of gold. His head was shaven, and on hisforehead was bound a disc of carved gold. I saw from his gaze that hisold eyes were blind. 

'Who comes?'he asked as I entered. 

'A messenger from the Inkulu, ' I spoke up boldly. 'He follows soonwith the white man, Henriques. '

Then I sat down in the back row of the circle to await events. Inoticed that my neighbour was the fellow 'Mwanga whom I had kicked outof the store. Happily I was so dusty that he could scarcely recognizeme, but I kept my face turned away from him. What with the light andthe warmth, the drone of the water, the silence of the folk, and mymental and physical stress, I grew drowsy and all but slept. 

[1] The Communion Sabbath. 

[2] A title applied only to the greatest chiefs. 

CHAPTER XI

THE CAVE OF THE ROOIRAND

I was roused by a sudden movement. The whole assembly stood up, andeach man clapped his right hand to his brow and then raised it high. Alow murmur of 'Inkulu' rose above the din of the water. Laputa strodedown the hall, with Henriques limping behind him. They certainly didnot suspect my presence in the cave, nor did Laputa show any rufflingof his calm. Only Henriques looked weary and cross. I guessed he hadhad to ride my pony. 

The old man whom I took to be the priest advanced towards Laputa withhis hands raised over his head. A pace before they met he halted, andLaputa went on his knees before him. He placed his hands on his head, and spoke some words which I could not understand. It reminded me, soqueer are the tricks of memory, of an old Sabbath-school book I used tohave which had a picture of Samuel ordaining Saul as king of Israel. Ithink I had forgotten my own peril and was enthralled by the majesty ofthe place--the wavering torches, the dropping wall of green water, above all, the figures of Laputa and the Keeper of the Snake, whoseemed to have stepped out of an antique world. 

Laputa stripped off his leopard skin till he stood stark, a noble formof a man. Then the priest sprinkled some herbs on the fire, and a thinsmoke rose to the roof. The smell was that I had smelled on theKirkcaple shore, sweet, sharp, and strange enough to chill the marrow. And round the fire went the priest in widening and contracting circles, just as on that Sabbath evening in spring. 

Once more we were sitting on the ground, all except Laputa and theKeeper. Henriques was squatting in the front row, a tiny creatureamong so many burly savages. Laputa stood with bent head in the centre. 

Then a song began, a wild incantation in which all joined. The oldpriest would speak some words, and the reply came in barbaric music. The words meant nothing to me; they must have been in some tongue longsince dead. But the music told its own tale. It spoke of old kingsand great battles, of splendid palaces and strong battlements, ofqueens white as ivory, of death and life, love and hate, joy andsorrow. It spoke, too, of desperate things, mysteries of horror longshut to the world. No Kaffir ever forged that ritual. It must havecome straight from Prester John or Sheba's queen, or whoever ruled inAfrica when time was young. 

I was horribly impressed. Devouring curiosity and a lurking namelessfear filled my mind. My old dread had gone. I was not afraid now ofKaffir guns, but of the black magic of which Laputa had the key. 

The incantation died away, but still herbs were flung on the fire, tillthe smoke rose in a great cloud, through which the priest loomed mistyand huge. Out of the smoke-wreaths his voice came high and strange. It was as if some treble stop had been opened in a great organ, asagainst the bass drone of the cataract. 

He was asking Laputa questions, to which came answers in that richvoice which on board the liner had preached the gospel of Christ. Thetongue I did not know, and I doubt if my neighbours were in bettercase. It must have been some old sacred language--Phoenician, Sabaean, I know not what--which had survived in the rite of the Snake. 

Then came silence while the fire died down and the smoke eddied away inwreaths towards the river. The priest's lips moved as if in prayer: ofLaputa I saw only the back, and his head was bowed. 

Suddenly a rapt cry broke from the Keeper. 'God has spoken, ' he cried. 'The path is clear. The Snake returns to the House of its Birth. '

An attendant led forward a black goat, which bleated feebly. With ahuge antique knife the old man slit its throat, catching the blood in astone ewer. Some was flung on the fire, which had burned small and low. 

'Even so, ' cried the priest, 'will the king quench in blood thehearth-fires of his foes. '

Then on Laputa's forehead and bare breast he drew a bloody cross. 'Iseal thee, ' said the voice, 'priest and king of God's people. ' The ewerwas carried round the assembly, and each dipped his finger in it andmarked his forehead. I got a dab to add to the other marks on my face. 

'Priest and king of God's people, ' said the voice again, 'I call theeto the inheritance of John. Priest and king was he, king of kings, lord of hosts, master of the earth. When he ascended on high he leftto his son the sacred Snake, the ark of his valour, to be God's dowerand pledge to the people whom He has chosen. '

I could not make out what followed. It seemed to be a long roll of thekings who had borne the Snake. None of them I knew, but at the end Ithought I caught the name of Tchaka the Terrible, and I rememberedArcoll's tale. 

The Keeper held in his arms a box of curiously wrought ivory, about twofeet long and one broad. He was standing beyond the ashes, from which, in spite of the blood, thin streams of smoke still ascended. He openedit, and drew out something which swung from his hand like a cascade ofred fire. 

'Behold the Snake, ' cried the Keeper, and every man in the assembly, excepting Laputa and including me, bowed his head to the ground andcried 'Ow. '

'Ye who have seen the Snake, ' came the voice, on you is the vow ofsilence and peace. No blood shall ye shed of man or beast, no fleshshall ye eat till the vow is taken from you. From the hour of midnighttill sunrise on the second day ye are bound to God. Whoever shallbreak the vow, on him shall the curse fall. His blood shall dry in hisveins, and his flesh shrink on his bones. He shall be an outlaw andaccursed, and there shall follow him through life and death theAvengers of the Snake. Choose ye, my people; upon you is the vow. '

By this time we were all flat on our faces, and a great cry of assentwent up. I lifted my head as much as I dared to see what would happennext. 

The priest raised the necklace till it shone above his head like a haloof blood. I have never seen such a jewel, and I think there has neverbeen another such on earth. Later I was to have the handling of it, and could examine it closely, though now I had only a glimpse. Therewere fifty-five rubies in it, the largest as big as a pigeon's egg, andthe least not smaller than my thumbnail. In shape they were oval, cuton both sides en cabochon, and on each certain characters wereengraved. No doubt this detracted from their value as gems, yet thecharacters might have been removed and the stones cut in facets, andthese rubies would still have been the noblest in the world. I was nojewel merchant to guess their value, but I knew enough to see that herewas wealth beyond human computation. At each end of the string was agreat pearl and a golden clasp. The sight absorbed me to the exclusionof all fear. I, David Crawfurd, nineteen years of age, anassistant-storekeeper in a back-veld dorp, was privileged to see asight to which no Portuguese adventurer had ever attained. There, floating on the smoke-wreaths, was the jewel which may once have burnedin Sheba's hair. As the priest held the collar aloft, the assemblyrocked with a strange passion. Foreheads were rubbed in the dust, andthen adoring eyes would be raised, while a kind of sobbing shook theworshippers. In that moment I learned something of the secret ofAfrica, of Prester John's empire and Tchaka's victories. 

'In the name of God, ' came the voice, 'I deliver to the heir of Johnthe Snake of John. '

Laputa took the necklet and twined it in two loops round his neck tillthe clasp hung down over his breast. The position changed. The priestknelt before him, and received his hands on his head. Then I knewthat, to the confusion of all talk about equality, God has ordainedsome men to be kings and others to serve. Laputa stood naked as whenhe was born, The rubies were dulled against the background of his skin, but they still shone with a dusky fire. Above the blood-red collar hisface had the passive pride of a Roman emperor. Only his great eyesgloomed and burned as he looked on his followers. 

'Heir of John, ' he said, 'I stand before you as priest and king. Mykingship is for the morrow. Now I am the priest to make intercessionfor my people. '

He prayed--prayed as I never heard man pray before--and to the God ofIsrael! It was no heathen fetich he was invoking, but the God of whomhe had often preached in Christian kirks. I recognized texts fromIsaiah and the Psalms and the Gospels, and very especially from the twolast chapters of Revelation. He pled with God to forget the sins ofhis people, to recall the bondage of Zion. It was amazing to hearthese bloodthirsty savages consecrated by their leader to the meekservice of Christ. An enthusiast may deceive himself, and I did notquestion his sincerity. I knew his heart, black with all the lusts ofpaganism. I knew that his purpose was to deluge the land with blood. But I knew also that in his eyes his mission was divine, and that hefelt behind him all the armies of Heaven. 

_'Thou hast been a strength to the poor, ' said the voice, 'a refugefrom the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the TerribleOnes is as a storm against a wall. _

_'Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dryplace; the branch of the Terrible Ones shall be brought low. _

_'And in this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people afeast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things fullof marrow. _

_'And He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering castover all people, and the vail that is brought over all nations. _

_'And the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all theearth; for the Lord hath spoken it. '_

I listened spellbound as he prayed. I heard the phrases familiar to mein my schooldays at Kirkcaple. He had some of the tones of my father'svoice, and when I shut my eyes I could have believed myself a childagain. So much he had got from his apprenticeship to the ministry. Iwondered vaguely what the good folks who had listened to him inchurches and halls at home would think of him now. But there was inthe prayer more than the supplications of the quondam preacher. Therewas a tone of arrogant pride, the pride of the man to whom the Almightyis only another and greater Lord of Hosts. He prayed less as asuppliant than as an ally. A strange emotion tingled in my blood, halfawe, half sympathy. As I have said, I understood that there are menborn to kingship. 

He ceased with a benediction. Then he put on his leopard-skin cloakand kilt, and received from the kneeling chief a spear and shield. Nowhe was more king than priest, more barbarian than Christian. It was asa king that he now spoke. 

I had heard him on board the liner, and had thought his voice the mostwonderful I had ever met with. But now in that great resonant hall themagic of it was doubled. He played upon the souls of his hearers as ona musical instrument. At will he struck the chords of pride, fury, hate, and mad joy. Now they would be hushed in breathless quiet, andnow the place would echo with savage assent. I remember noticing thatthe face of my neighbour, 'Mwanga, was running with tears. 

He spoke of the great days of Prester John, and a hundred names I hadnever heard of. He pictured the heroic age of his nation, when everyman was a warrior and hunter, and rich kraals stood in the spots nowdesecrated by the white man, and cattle wandered on a thousand hills. Then he told tales of white infamy, lands snatched from their rightfulpossessors, unjust laws which forced the Ethiopian to the bondage of adespised caste, the finger of scorn everywhere, and the mocking word. If it be the part of an orator to rouse the passion of his hearers, Laputa was the greatest on earth. 'What have ye gained from the whiteman?' he cried. 'A bastard civilization which has sapped your manhood;a false religion which would rivet on you the chains of the slave. Ye, the old masters of the land, are now the servants of the oppressor. And yet the oppressors are few, and the fear of you is in their hearts. They feast in their great cities, but they see the writing on the wall, and their eyes are anxiously turning lest the enemy be at their gates. 'I cannot hope in my prosaic words to reproduce that amazing discourse. Phrases which the hearers had heard at mission schools now suddenlyappeared, not as the white man's learning, but as God's message to Hisown. Laputa fitted the key to the cipher, and the meaning was clear. He concluded, I remember, with a picture of the overthrow of the alien, and the golden age which would dawn for the oppressed. AnotherEthiopian empire would arise, so majestic that the white man everywherewould dread its name, so righteous that all men under it would live inease and peace. 

By rights, I suppose, my blood should have been boiling at thistreason. I am ashamed to confess that it did nothing of the sort. Mymind was mesmerized by this amazing man. I could not refrain fromshouting with the rest. Indeed I was a convert, if there can beconversion when the emotions are dominant and there is no assent fromthe brain. I had a mad desire to be of Laputa's party. Or rather, Ilonged for a leader who should master me and make my soul his own, asthis man mastered his followers. I have already said that I might havemade a good subaltern soldier, and the proof is that I longed for sucha general. 

As the voice ceased there was a deep silence. The hearers were in asort of trance, their eyes fixed glassily on Laputa's face. It was thequiet of tense nerves and imagination at white-heat. I had to strugglewith a spell which gripped me equally with the wildest savage. Iforced myself to look round at the strained faces, the wall of thecascade, the line of torches. It was the sight of Henriques that brokethe charm. Here was one who had no part in the emotion. I caught hiseye fixed on the rubies, and in it I read only a devouring greed. Itflashed through my mind that Laputa had a foe in his own camp, and thePrester's collar a votary whose passion was not that of worship. 

The next thing I remember was a movement among the first ranks. Thechiefs were swearing fealty. Laputa took off the collar and called Godto witness that it should never again encircle his neck till he had ledhis people to victory. Then one by one the great chiefs and indunasadvanced, and swore allegiance with their foreheads on the ivory box. Such a collection of races has never been seen. There were tall Zulusand Swazis with ringkops and feather head-dresses. There were men fromthe north with heavy brass collars and anklets; men with quills intheir ears, and earrings and nose-rings; shaven heads, and heads withwonderfully twisted hair; bodies naked or all but naked, and bodiesadorned with skins and necklets. Some were light in colour, and somewere black as coal; some had squat negro features, and some thin, high-boned Arab faces. But in all there was the air of mad enthusiasm. For a day they were forsworn from blood, but their wild eyes andtwitching hands told their future purpose. 

For an hour or two I had been living in a dream-world. Suddenly myabsorption was shattered, for I saw that my time to swear was coming. I sat in the extreme back row at the end nearest the entrance, andtherefore I should naturally be the last to go forward. The crisis wasnear when I should be discovered, for there was no question of myshirking the oath. 

Then for the first time since I entered the cave I realized thefrightful danger in which I stood. My mind had been strung so high bythe ritual that I had forgotten all else. Now came the rebound, andwith shaky nerves I had to face discovery and certain punishment. Inthat moment I suffered the worst terror of my life. There was much tocome later, but by that time my senses were dulled. Now they had beensharpened by what I had seen and heard, my nerves were alreadyquivering and my fancy on fire. I felt every limb shaking as 'Mwangawent forward. The cave swam before my eyes, heads were multipliedgiddily, and I was only dimly conscious when he rose to return. 

Nothing would have made me advance, had I not feared Laputa less thanmy neighbours. They might rend me to pieces, but to him the oath wasinviolable. I staggered crazily to my feet, and shambled forwards. Myeye was fixed on the ivory box, and it seemed to dance before me andretreat. 

Suddenly I heard a voice--the voice of Henriques--cry, 'By God, a spy!'I felt my throat caught, but I was beyond resisting. 

It was released, and I was pinned by the arms. I must have stoodvacantly, with a foolish smile, while unchained fury raged round me. Iseemed to hear Laputa's voice saying, 'It is the storekeeper. ' Hisface was all that I could see, and it was unperturbed. There was amocking ghost of a smile about his lips. 

Myriad hands seemed to grip me and crush my breath, but above theclamour I heard a fierce word of command. After that I fainted. 

CHAPTER XII

CAPTAIN ARCOLL SENDS A MESSAGE

I once read--I think in some Latin writer--the story of a man who wascrushed to a jelly by the mere repeated touch of many thousand hands. His murderers were not harsh, but an infinite repetition of thegentlest handling meant death. I do not suppose that I was verybrutally manhandled in the cave. I was trussed up tight and carried outto the open, and left in the care of the guards. But when my sensesreturned I felt as if I had been cruelly beaten in every part. Theraw-hide bonds chafed my wrists and ankle and shoulders, but they werethe least part of my aches. To be handled by a multitude of Kaffirs islike being shaken by some wild animal. Their skins are insensible topain, and I have seen a Zulu stand on a piece of red-hot iron withoutnoticing it till he was warned by the smell of burning hide. Anyhow, after I had been bound by Kaffir hands and tossed on Kaffir shoulders, I felt as if I had been in a scrimmage of mad bulls. I found myselflying looking up at the moon. It was the edge of the bush, and allaround was the stir of the army getting ready for the road. You knowhow a native babbles and chatters over any work he has to do. It saysmuch for Laputa's iron hand that now everything was done in silence. Iheard the nickering of horses and the jolt of carts as they turned fromthe bush into the path. There was the sound of hurried whispering, andnow and then a sharp command. And all the while I lay, staring at themoon and wondering if I was going to keep my reason. 

If he who reads this doubts the discomfort of bonds let him try themfor himself. Let him be bound foot and hand and left alone, and inhalf an hour he will be screaming for release. The sense of impotenceis stifling, and I felt as if I were buried in some landslip instead oflying under the open sky, with the night wind fanning my face. I wasin the second stage of panic, which is next door to collapse. I triedto cry, but could only raise a squeak like a bat. A wheel started torun round in my head, and, when I looked at the moon, I saw that it wasrotating in time. Things were very bad with me. It was 'Mwanga whosaved me from lunacy. He had been appointed my keeper, and the first Iknew of it was a violent kick in the ribs. I rolled over on the grassdown a short slope. The brute squatted beside me, and prodded me withhis gun-barrel. 

'Ha, Baas, ' he said in his queer English. 'Once you ordered me out ofyour store and treated me like a dog. It is 'Mwanga's turn now. Youare 'Mwanga's dog, and he will skin you with a sjambok soon. '

My wandering wits were coming back to me. I looked into his bloodshoteyes and saw what I had to expect. The cheerful savage went on todiscuss just the kind of beating I should get from him. My bones wereto be uncovered till the lash curled round my heart. Then the jackalswould have the rest of me. 

This was ordinary Kaffir brag, and it made me angry. But I thought itbest to go cannily. 

'If I am to be your slave, ' I managed to say, 'it would be a pity tobeat me so hard. You would get no more work out of me. '

'Mwanga grinned wickedly. 'You are my slave for a day and a night. After that we kill you--slowly. You will burn till your legs fall offand your knees are on the ground, and then you will be chopped smallwith knives. '

Thank God, my courage and common sense were coming back to me. 

'What happens to me to-morrow, ' I said, 'is the Inkulu's business, notyours. I am his prisoner. But if you lift your hand on me to-day soas to draw one drop of blood the Inkulu will make short work of you. The vow is upon you, and if you break it you know what happens. ' And Irepeated, in a fair imitation of the priest's voice, the terrible cursehe had pronounced in the cave. 

You should have seen the change in that cur's face. I had guessed hewas a coward, as he was most certainly a bully, and now I knew it. Heshivered, and drew his hand over his eyes. 

'Nay, Baas, ' he pleaded, 'it was but a joke. No harm shall come on youto-day. But tomorrow--' and his ugly face grew more cheerful. 

'To-morrow we shall see what we shall see, ' I said stoically, and aloud drum-beat sounded through the camp. 

It was the signal for moving, for in the east a thin pale line of goldwas beginning to show over the trees. The bonds at my knees and ankleswere cut, and I was bundled on to the back of a horse. Then my feetwere strapped firmly below its belly. The bridle of my beast was tiedto 'Mwanga's, so that there was little chance of escape even if I hadbeen unshackled. 

My thoughts were very gloomy. So far all had happened as I planned, but I seemed to have lost my nerve, and I could not believe in myrescue at the Letaba, while I thought of Inanda's Kraal with sheerhorror. Last night I had looked into the heart of darkness, and thesight had terrified me. What part should I play in the greatpurification? Most likely that of the Biblical scapegoat. But thedolour of my mind was surpassed by the discomfort of my body. I wasbroken with pains and weariness, and I had a desperate headache. Also, before we had gone a mile, I began to think that I should split in two. The paces of my beast were uneven, to say the best of it, and thebump-bump was like being on the rack. I remembered that the saints ofthe Covenant used to journey to prison this way, especially the greatMr Peden, and I wondered how they liked it. When I hear of a man doinga brave deed, I always want to discover whether at the time he was welland comfortable in body. That, I am certain, is the biggest ingredientin courage, and those who plan and execute great deeds in bodilyweakness have my homage as truly heroic. For myself, I had not thespirit of a chicken as I jogged along at 'Mwanga's side. I wished hewould begin to insult me, if only to distract my mind, but he keptobstinately silent. He was sulky, and I think rather afraid of me. 

As the sun got up I could see something of the host around me. I am nohand at guessing numbers, but I should put the fighting men I saw atnot less than twenty thousand. Every man of them was on this side hisprime, and all were armed with good rifles and bandoliers. There werenone of your old roers[1] and decrepit Enfields, which I had seen signsof in Kaffir kraals. These guns were new, serviceable Mausers, and themen who bore them looked as if they knew how to handle them. Theremust have been long months of training behind this show, and Imarvelled at the man who had organized it. I saw no field-guns, andthe little transport they had was evidently for food only. We did nottravel in ranks like an orthodox column. About a third of the forcewas mounted, and this formed the centre. On each wing the infantrystraggled far afield, but there was method in their disorder, for inthe bush close ranks would have been impossible. At any rate we keptwonderfully well together, and when we mounted a knoll the whole armyseemed to move in one piece. I was well in the rear of the centrecolumn, but from the crest of a slope I sometimes got a view in front. I could see nothing of Laputa, who was probably with the van, but inthe very heart of the force I saw the old priest of the Snake, with histreasure carried in the kind of litter which the Portuguese call amachila, between rows of guards. A white man rode beside him, whom Ijudged to be Henriques. Laputa trusted this fellow, and I wonderedwhy. I had not forgotten the look on his face while he had stared atthe rubies in the cave. I had a notion that the Portugoose might be anunsuspected ally of mine, though for blackguard reasons. 

About ten o'clock, as far as I could judge by the sun, we passedUmvelos', and took the right bank of the Labongo. There was nothing inthe store to loot, but it was overrun by Kaffirs, who carried off thebenches for firewood. It gave me an odd feeling to see the remains ofthe meal at which I had entertained Laputa in the hands of a dozenwarriors. I thought of the long sunny days when I had sat by mynachtmaal while the Dutch farmers rode in to trade. Now these men wereall dead, and I was on my way to the same bourne. 

Soon the blue line of the Berg rose in the west, and through the cornerof my eye, as I rode, I could see the gap of the Klein Labongo. Iwondered if Arcoll and his men were up there watching us. About thistime I began to be so wretched in body that I ceased to think of thefuture. I had had no food for seventeen hours, and I was dropping fromlack of sleep. The ache of my bones was so great that I found myselfcrying like a baby. What between pain and weakness and nervousexhaustion, I was almost at the end of my tether, and should havefainted dead away if a halt had not been called. But about midday, after we had crossed the track from Blaauwildebeestefontein to thePortuguese frontier, we came to the broad, shallow drift of the KleinLabongo. It is the way of the Kaffirs to rest at noon, and on theother side of the drift we encamped. I remember the smell of hot earthand clean water as my horse scrambled up the bank. Then came the smellof wood-smoke as fires were lit. It seemed an age after we stoppedbefore my feet were loosed and I was allowed to fall over on theground. I lay like a log where I fell, and was asleep in ten seconds. Iawoke two hours later much refreshed, and with a raging hunger. Myankles and knees had been tied again, but the sleep had taken the worststiffness out of my joints. The natives were squatting in groups roundtheir fires, but no one came near me. I satisfied myself by strainingat my bonds that this solitude gave no chance of escape. I wantedfood, and I shouted on 'Mwanga, but he never came. Then I rolled overinto the shadow of a wacht-en-beetje bush to get out of the glare. 

I saw a Kaffir on the other side of the bush who seemed to be grinningat me. Slowly he moved round to my side, and stood regarding me withinterest. 

'For God's sake get me some food, ' I said. 

'Ja, Baas, ' was the answer; and he disappeared for a minute, andreturned with a wooden bowl of hot mealie-meal porridge, and a calabashfull of water. 

I could not use my hands, so he fed me with the blade of his knife. Such porridge without salt or cream is beastly food, but my hunger wasso great that I could have eaten a vat of it. 

Suddenly it appeared that the Kaffir had something to say to me. As hefed me he began to speak in a low voice in English. 

'Baas, ' he said, 'I come from Ratitswan, and I have a message for you. '

I guessed that Ratitswan was the native name for Arcoll. There was noone else likely to send a message. 'Ratitswan says, ' he went on, "'Lookout for Dupree's Drift. " I will be near you and cut your bonds; thenyou must swim across when Ratitswan begins to shoot. '

The news took all the weight of care from my mind. Colin had got home, and my friends were out for rescue. So volatile is the mood of 19 thatI veered round from black despair to an unwarranted optimism. I sawmyself already safe, and Laputa's rising scattered. I saw my hands onthe treasure, and Henriques' ugly neck below my heel. 

'I don't know your name, ' I said to the Kaffir, 'but you are a goodfellow. When I get out of this business I won't forget you. '

'There is another message, Baas, ' he said. 'It is written on paper ina strange tongue. Turn your head to the bush, and see, I will hold itinside the bowl, that you may read it. '

I did as I was told, and found myself looking at a dirty half-sheet ofnotepaper, marked by the Kaffir's thumbs. Some words were written onit in Wardlaw's hand; and, characteristically, in Latin, which was nota bad cipher. I read--'Henricus de Letaba transeunda apud Duprei vadajam nos certiores fecit. '[2]

I had guessed rightly. Henriques was a traitor to the cause he hadespoused. Arcoll's message had given me new heart, but Wardlaw's gaveme information of tremendous value. I repented that I had everunderrated the schoolmaster's sense. He did not come out of Aberdeenfor nothing. 

I asked the Kaffir how far it was to Dupree's Drift, and was told threehours' march. We should get there after the darkening. It seemed hehad permission to ride with me instead of 'Mwanga, who had no love forthe job. How he managed this I do not know; but Arcoll's men had theirown ways of doing things. He undertook to set me free when the firstshot was fired at the ford. Meantime I bade him leave me, to avertsuspicion. 

There is a story of one of King Arthur's knights--Sir Percival, Ithink--that once, riding through a forest, he found a lion fightingwith a serpent. He drew his sword and helped the lion, for he thoughtit was the more natural beast of the two. To me Laputa was the lion, and Henriques the serpent; and though I had no good will to either, Iwas determined to spoil the serpent's game. He was after the rubies, as I had fancied; he had never been after anything else. He had foundout about Arcoll's preparations, and had sent him a warning, hoping, nodoubt, that, if Laputa's force was scattered on the Letaba, he wouldhave a chance of getting off with the necklace in the confusion. If hesucceeded, he would go over the Lebombo to Mozambique, and whateverhappened afterwards in the rising would be no concern of Mr Henriques. I determined that he should fail; but how to manage it I could not see. Had I had a pistol, I think I would have shot him; but I had no weaponof any kind. I could not warn Laputa, for that would seal my own fate, even if I were believed. It was clear that Laputa must go to Dupree'sDrift, for otherwise I could not escape; and it was equally clear thatI must find the means of spoiling the Portugoose's game. 

A shadow fell across the sunlight, and I looked up to see the man I wasthinking of standing before me. He had a cigarette in his mouth, andhis hands in the pockets of his riding-breeches. He stood eyeing mewith a curious smile on his face. 

'Well, Mr Storekeeper, ' he said, 'you and I have met before underpleasanter circumstances. '

I said nothing, my mind being busy with what to do at the drift. 

'We were shipmates, if I am not mistaken, ' he said. 'I dare say youfound it nicer work smoking on the after-deck than lying here in thesun. '

Still I said nothing. If the man had come to mock me, he would get nochange out of David Crawfurd. 

'Tut, tut, don't be sulky. You have no quarrel with me. Betweenourselves, ' and he dropped his voice, 'I tried to save you; but you hadseen rather too much to be safe. What devil prompted you to steal ahorse and go to the cave? I don't blame you for overhearing us; but ifyou had had the sense of a louse you would have gone off to the Bergwith your news. By the way, how did you manage it? A cellar, Isuppose. Our friend Laputa was a fool not to take better precautions;but I must say you acted the drunkard pretty well. '

The vanity of 19 is an incalculable thing. I rose to the fly. 

'I know the kind of precaution you wanted to take, ' I muttered. 

'You heard that too? Well, I confess I am in favour of doing a jobthoroughly when I take it up. '

'In the Koodoo Flats, for example, ' I said. 

He sat down beside me, and laughed softly. 'You heard my little story?You are clever, Mr Storekeeper, but not quite clever enough. What if Ican act a part as well as yourself?' And he thrust his yellow faceclose to mine. 

I saw his meaning, and did not for a second believe him; but I had thesense to temporize. 

'Do you mean to say that you did not kill the Dutchmen, and did notmean to knife me?'

'I mean to say that I am not a fool, ' he said, lighting anothercigarette. 

'I am a white man, Mr Storekeeper, and I play the white man's game. Why do you think I am here? Simply because I was the only man inAfrica who had the pluck to get to the heart of this business. I amhere to dish Laputa, and by God I am going to do it. '

I was scarcely prepared for such incredible bluff. I knew every wordwas a lie, but I wanted to hear more, for the man fascinated me. 

'I suppose you know what will happen to you, ' he said, flicking theashes from his cigarette. 'To-morrow at Inanda's Kraal, when the vowis over, they will give you a taste of Kaffir habits. Not death, myfriend--that would be simple enough--but a slow death with everyrefinement of horror. You have broken into their sacred places, andyou will be sacrificed to Laputa's god. I have seen native torturebefore, and his own mother would run away shrieking from a man who hadendured it. '

I said nothing, but the thought made my flesh creep. 

'Well, ' he went on, 'you're in an awkward plight, but I think I canhelp you. What if I can save your life, Mr Storekeeper? You aretrussed up like a fowl, and can do nothing. I am the only man alivewho can help you. I am willing to do it, too--on my own terms. '

I did not wait to hear those terms, for I had a shrewd guess what theywould be. My hatred of Henriques rose and choked me. I saw murder andtrickery in his mean eyes and cruel mouth. I could not, to be savedfrom the uttermost horror, have made myself his ally. 

'Now listen, Mr Portugoose, ' I cried. 'You tell me you are a spy. What if I shout that through the camp? There will be short shrift foryou if Laputa hears it. '

He laughed loudly. 'You are a bigger fool than I took you for. Whowould believe you, my friend. Not Laputa. Not any man in this army. It would only mean tighter bonds for these long legs of yours. '

By this time I had given up all thought of diplomacy. 'Very well, youyellow-faced devil, you will hear my answer. I would not take myfreedom from you, though I were to be boiled alive. I know you for atraitor to the white man's cause, a dirty I. D. B. Swindler, whose nameis a byword among honest men. By your own confession you are a traitorto this idiot rising. You murdered the Dutchmen and God knows how manymore, and you would fain have murdered me. I pray to Heaven that themen whose cause you have betrayed and the men whose cause you wouldbetray may join to stamp the life out of you and send your soul tohell. I know the game you would have me join in, and I fling your offerin your face. But I tell you one thing--you are damned yourself. Thewhite men are out, and you will never get over the Lebombo. From blackor white you will get justice before many hours, and your carcass willbe left to rot in the bush. Get out of my sight, you swine. '

In that moment I was so borne up in my passion that I forgot my bondsand my grave danger. I was inspired like a prophet with a sense ofapproaching retribution. Henriques heard me out; but his smile changedto a scowl, and a flush rose on his sallow cheek. 

'Stew in your own juice, ' he said, and spat in my face. Then heshouted in Kaffir that I had insulted him, and demanded that I shouldbe bound tighter and gagged. 

It was Arcoll's messenger who answered his summons. That admirablefellow rushed at me with a great appearance of savagery. He made apretence of swathing me up in fresh rawhide ropes, but his knots wereloose and the thing was a farce. He gagged me with what looked like apiece of wood, but was in reality a chunk of dry banana. And all thewhile, till Henriques was out of hearing, he cursed me with a noblegift of tongues. 

The drums beat for the advance, and once more I was hoisted on myhorse, while Arcoll's Kaffir tied my bridle to his own. A Kaffircannot wink, but he has a way of slanting his eyes which does as well, and as we moved on he would turn his head to me with this strangegrimace. 

Henriques wanted me to help him to get the rubies--that I presumed wasthe offer he had meant to make. Well, thought I, I will perish beforethe jewel reaches the Portuguese's hands. He hoped for a stampede whenArcoll opposed the crossing of the river, and in the confusion intendedto steal the casket. My plan must be to get as near the old priest aspossible before we reached the ford. I spoke to my warder and told himwhat I wanted. He nodded, and in the first mile we managed to edge agood way forward. Several things came to aid us. As I have said, weof the centre were not marching in close ranks, but in a loose column, and often it was possible by taking a short cut on rough ground to jointhe column some distance ahead. There was a vlei, too, which manycircumvented, but we swam, and this helped our lead. In a couple ofhours we were so near the priest's litter that I could have easilytossed a cricket ball on the head of Henriques who rode beside it. 

Very soon the twilight of the winter day began to fall. The far hillsgrew pink and mulberry in the sunset, and strange shadows stole overthe bush. Still creeping forward, we found ourselves not twenty yardsbehind the litter, while far ahead I saw a broad, glimmering space ofwater with a high woody bank beyond. 

'Dupree's Drift;' whispered my warder. 'Courage, Inkoos;[3] in anhour's time you will be free. '

[1] Boer elephant guns. 

[2] 'Henriques has already told us about the crossing at Dupree'sDrift. '

[3] Great chief. 

CHAPTER XIII

THE DRIFT OF THE LETABA

The dusk was gathering fast as we neared the stream. From the stagnantreaches above and below a fine white mist was rising, but the longshallows of the ford were clear. My heart was beginning to flutterwildly, but I kept a tight grip on myself and prayed for patience. AsI stared into the evening my hopes sank. I had expected, foolishlyenough, to see on the far bank some sign of my friends, but the tallbush was dead and silent. 

The drift slants across the river at an acute angle, roughly S. S. W. Idid not know this at the time, and was amazed to see the van of themarch turn apparently up stream. Laputa's great voice rang out in someorder which was repeated down the column, and the wide flanks of theforce converged on the narrow cart-track which entered the water. Wehad come to a standstill while the front ranks began the passage. 

I sat shaking with excitement, my eyes straining into the gloom. Waterholds the evening light for long, and I could make out pretty clearlywhat was happening. The leading horsemen rode into the stream withLaputa in front. The ford is not the best going, so they had to picktheir way, but in five or ten minutes they were over. Then came someof the infantry of the flanks, who crossed with the water to theirwaists, and their guns held high above their heads. They made aportentous splashing, but not a sound came from their throats. I shallnever know how Laputa imposed silence on the most noisy race on earth. Several thousand footmen must have followed the riders, and disappearedinto the far bush. But not a shot came from the bluffs in front. 

I watched with a sinking heart. Arcoll had failed, and there was to beno check at the drift. There remained for me only the horrors atInanda's Kraal. I resolved to make a dash for freedom, at all costs, and was in the act of telling Arcoll's man to cut my bonds, when athought occurred to me. 

Henriques was after the rubies, and it was his interest to get Laputaacross the river before the attack began. It was Arcoll's business tosplit the force, and above all to hold up the leader. Henriques wouldtell him, and for that matter he must have assumed himself, that Laputawould ride in the centre of the force. Therefore there would be nocheck till the time came for the priest's litter to cross. 

It was well that I had not had my bonds cut. Henriques came ridingtowards me, his face sharp and bright as a ferret's. He pulled up andasked if I were safe. My Kaffir showed my strapped elbows and feet, and tugged at the cords to prove their tightness. 

'Keep him well, ' said Henriques, 'or you will answer to Inkulu. Forward with him now and get him through the water. ' Then he turnedand rode back. 

My warder, apparently obeying orders, led me out of the column and intothe bush on the right hand. Soon we were abreast of the litter andsome twenty yards to the west of it. The water gleamed through thetrees a few paces in front. I could see the masses of infantryconverging on the drift, and the churning like a cascade which theymade in the passage. 

Suddenly from the far bank came an order. It was Laputa's voice, thinand high-pitched, as the Kaffir cries when he wishes his words to carrya great distance. Henriques repeated it, and the infantry halted. Theriders of the column in front of the litter began to move into thestream. 

We should have gone with them, but instead we pulled our horses backinto the darkness of the bush. It seemed to me that odd things werehappening around the priest's litter. Henriques had left it, and dashedpast me so close that I could have touched him. From somewhere amongthe trees a pistol-shot cracked into the air. 

As if in answer to a signal the high bluff across the stream burst intoa sheet of fire. 'A sheet of fire' sounds odd enough for scientificwarfare. I saw that my friends were using shot-guns and firing withblack powder into the mob in the water. It was humane and it was goodtactics, for the flame in the grey dusk had the appearance of a heavybattery of ordnance. Once again I heard Henriques' voice. He wasturning the column to the right. He shouted to them to get into cover, and take the water higher up. I thought, too, that from far away Iheard Laputa. 

These were maddening seconds. We had left the business of cutting mybonds almost too late. In the darkness of the bush the strips of hidecould only be felt for, and my Kaffir had a woefully blunt knife. Reims are always tough to sever, and mine had to be sawn through. Soonmy arms were free, and I was plucking at my other bonds. The worstwere those on my ankles below the horse's belly. The Kaffir fumbledaway in the dark, and pricked my beast so that he reared and struckout. And all the while I was choking with impatience, and gabblingprayers to myself. 

The men on the other side had begun to use ball-cartridge. I could seethrough a gap the centre of the river, and it was filled with a mass ofstruggling men and horses'. I remember that it amazed me that no shotwas fired in return. Then I remembered the vow, and was still moreamazed at the power of a ritual on that savage horde. 

The column was moving past me to the right. It was a disorderly rabblewhich obeyed Henriques' orders. Bullets began to sing through thetrees, and one rider was hit in the shoulder and came down with acrash. This increased the confusion, for most of them dismounted andtried to lead their horses in the cover. The infantry coming in fromthe wings collided with them, and there was a struggle of excitedbeasts and men in the thickets of thorn and mopani. And still myKaffir was trying to get my ankles loose as fast as a plunging horsewould let him. At last I was free, and dropped stiffly to the ground. I fell prone on my face with cramp, and when I got up I rolled like adrunk man. Here I made a great blunder. I should have left my horsewith my Kaffir, and bidden him follow me. But I was too eager to becautious, so I let it go, and crying to the Kaffir to await me, I rantowards the litter. 

Henriques had laid his plans well. The column had abandoned thepriest, and by the litter were only the two bearers. As I caught sightof them one fell with a bullet in his chest. The other, wild withfright, kept turning his head to every quarter of the compass. Anotherbullet passed close to his head. This was too much for him, and with ayell he ran away. 

As I broke through the thicket I looked to the quarter whence thebullets had come. These, I could have taken my oath, were not fired bymy friends on the farther bank. It was close-quarter shooting, and Iknew who had done it. But I saw nobody. The last few yards of theroad were clear, and only out in the water was the struggling shoutingmass of humanity. I saw a tall man on a big horse plunge into the riveron his way back. It must be Laputa returning to command the panic. 

My business was not with Laputa but with Henriques. The old priest inthe litter, who had been sleeping, had roused himself, and was lookingvacantly round him. He did not look long. A third bullet, fired froma dozen yards away, drilled a hole in his forehead. He fell back dead, and the ivory box, which lay on his lap, tilted forward on the ground. 

I had no weapon of any kind, and I did not want the fourth bullet formyself. Henriques was too pretty a shot to trifle with. I waitedquietly on the edge of the shade till the Portugoose came out of thethicket. I saw him running forward with a rifle in his hand. A whinnyfrom a horse told me that somewhere near his beast was tied up. It wasall but dark, but it seemed to me that I could see the lust of greed inhis eyes as he rushed to the litter. 

Very softly I stole behind him. He tore off the lid of the box, andpulled out the great necklace. For a second it hung in his hands, butonly for a second. So absorbed was he that he did not notice mestanding full before him. Nay, he lifted his head, and gave me thefinest chance of my life. I was something of a boxer, and all myaccumulated fury went into the blow. It caught him on the point of thechin, and his neck cricked like the bolt of a rifle. He fell limply onthe ground and the jewels dropped from his hand. 

I picked them up and stuffed them into my breeches pocket. 

Then I pulled the pistol out of his belt. It was six-chambered, and Iknew that only three had been emptied. I remembered feelingextraordinarily cool and composed, and yet my wits must have beenwandering or I would have never taken the course I did. 

The right thing to do--on Arcoll's instructions--was to make for theriver and swim across to my friends. But Laputa was coming back, and Idreaded meeting him. Laputa seemed to my heated fancy omnipresent. Ithought of him as covering the whole bank of the river, whereas I mighteasily have crossed a little farther down, and made my way up the otherbank to my friends. It was plain that Laputa intended to evade thepatrol, not to capture it, and there, consequently, I should be safe. The next best thing was to find Arcoll's Kaffir, who was not twentyyards away, get some sort of horse, and break for the bush. Longbefore morning we should have been over the Berg and in safety. Nay, if I wanted a mount, there was Henriques' whinnying a few paces off. 

Instead I did the craziest thing of all. With the jewels in onepocket, and the Portugoose's pistol in the other, I started runningback the road we had come. 

CHAPTER XIV

I CARRY THE COLLAR OF PRESTER JOHN

I ran till my breath grew short, for some kind of swift motion I had tohave or choke. The events of the last few minutes had inflamed mybrain. For the first time in my life I had seen men die byviolence--nay, by brutal murder. I had put my soul into the blow whichlaid out Henriques, and I was still hot with the pride of it. Also Ihad in my pocket the fetich of the whole black world; I had taken theirArk of the Covenant, and soon Laputa would be on my trail. Fear, pride, and a blind exultation all throbbed in my veins. I must haverun three miles before I came to my sober senses. 

I put my ear to the ground, but heard no sound of pursuit. Laputa, Iargued, would have enough to do for a little, shepherding his flockover the water. He might surround and capture the patrol, or he mightevade it; the vow prevented him from fighting it. On the whole I wasclear that he would ignore it and push on for the rendezvous. All thiswould take time, and the business of the priest would have to wait. When Henriques came to he would no doubt have a story to tell, and thescouts would be on my trail. I wished I had shot the Portugoose whileI was at the business. It would have been no murder, but a righteousexecution. 

Meanwhile I must get off the road. The sand had been disturbed by anarmy, so there was little fear of my steps being traced. Still it wasonly wise to leave the track which I would be assumed to have taken, for Laputa would guess I had fled back the way toBlaauwildebeestefontein. I turned into the bush, which here was thinand sparse like whins on a common. 

The Berg must be my goal. Once on the plateau I would be inside thewhite man's lines. Down here in the plains I was in the country of myenemies. Arcoll meant to fight on the uplands when it came tofighting. The black man might rage as he pleased in his own flats, butwe stood to defend the gates of the hills. Therefore over the Berg Imust be before morning, or there would be a dead man with no tales totell. 

I think that even at the start of that night's work I realized theexceeding precariousness of my chances. Some twenty miles of bush andswamp separated me from the foot of the mountains. After that therewas the climbing of them, for at the point opposite where I now stoodthe Berg does not descend sharply on the plain, but is broken intofoot-hills around the glens of the Klein Letaba and the Letsitela. From the spot where these rivers emerge on the flats to the crown ofthe plateau is ten miles at the shortest. I had a start of an hour orso, but before dawn I had to traverse thirty miles of unknown anddifficult country. Behind me would follow the best trackers in Africa, who knew every foot of the wilderness. It was a wild hazard, but it wasmy only hope. At this time I was feeling pretty courageous. For onething I had Henriques' pistol close to my leg, and for another I stillthrilled with the satisfaction of having smitten his face. 

I took the rubies, and stowed them below my shirt and next my skin. Iremember taking stock of my equipment and laughing at the humour of it. One of the heels was almost twisted off my boots, and my shirt andbreeches were old at the best and ragged from hard usage. The wholeoutfit would have been dear at five shillings, or seven-and-six withthe belt thrown in. Then there was the Portugoose's pistol, costing, say, a guinea; and last, the Prester's collar, worth several millions. 

What was more important than my clothing was my bodily strength. I wasstill very sore from the bonds and the jog of that accursed horse, butexercise was rapidly suppling my joints. About five hours ago I hadeaten a filling, though not very sustaining, meal, and I thought Icould go on very well till morning. But I was still badly in arrearswith my sleep, and there was no chance of my snatching a minute till Iwas over the Berg. It was going to be a race against time, and I sworethat I would drive my body to the last ounce of strength. 

Moonrise was still an hour or two away, and the sky was bright withmyriad stars. I knew now what starlight meant, for there was amplelight to pick my way by. I steered by the Southern Cross, for I wasaware that the Berg ran north and south, and with that constellation onmy left hand I was bound to reach it sooner or later. The bush closedaround me with its mysterious dull green shades, and trees, which inthe daytime were thin scrub, now loomed like tall timber. It was veryeerie moving, a tiny fragment of mortality, in that great wide silentwilderness, with the starry vault, like an impassive celestialaudience, watching with many eyes. They cheered me, those stars. Inmy hurry and fear and passion they spoke of the old calm dignities ofman. I felt less alone when I turned my face to the lights which wereslanting alike on this uncanny bush and on the homely streets ofKirkcaple. 

The silence did not last long. First came the howl of a wolf, to beanswered by others from every quarter of the compass. This serenadewent on for a bit, till the jackals chimed in with their harsh bark. Ihad been caught by darkness before this when hunting on the Berg, but Iwas not afraid of wild beasts. That is one terror of the bush whichtravellers' tales have put too high. It was true that I might meet ahungry lion, but the chance was remote, and I had my pistol. Onceindeed a huge animal bounded across the road a little in front of me. For a moment I took him for a lion, but on reflection I was inclined tothink him a very large bush-pig. 

By this time I was out of the thickest bush and into a piece ofparkland with long, waving tambuki grass, which the Kaffirs would burnlater. The moon was coming up, and her faint rays silvered the flattops of the mimosa trees. I could hear and feel around me the rustlingof animals. Once or twice a big buck--an eland or a koodoo--brokecover, and at the sight of me went off snorting down the slope. Alsothere were droves of smaller game--rhebok and springbok andduikers--which brushed past at full gallop without even noticing me. 

The sight was so novel that it set me thinking. That shy wild thingsshould stampede like this could only mean that they had been thoroughlyscared. Now obviously the thing that scared them must be on this sideof the Letaba. This must mean that Laputa's army, or a large part ofit, had not crossed at Dupree's Drift, but had gone up the stream tosome higher ford. If that was so, I must alter my course; so I boreaway to the right for a mile or two, making a line due north-west. 

In about an hour's time the ground descended steeply, and I saw beforeme the shining reaches of a river. I had the chief features of thecountryside clear in my mind, both from old porings over maps, and fromArcoll's instructions. This stream must be the Little Letaba, and Imust cross it if I would get to the mountains. I remembered thatMajinje's kraal stood on its left bank, and higher up in its valley inthe Berg 'Mpefu lived. At all costs the kraals must be avoided. Onceacross it I must make for the Letsitela, another tributary of the GreatLetaba, and by keeping the far bank of that stream I should cross themountains to the place on the plateau of the Wood Bush which Arcoll hadtold me would be his headquarters. 

It is easy to talk about crossing a river, and looking to-day at theslender streak on the map I am amazed that so small a thing should havegiven me such ugly tremors. Yet I have rarely faced a job I liked solittle. The stream ran yellow and sluggish under the clear moon. Onthe near side a thick growth of bush clothed the bank, but on the farside I made out a swamp with tall bulrushes. The distance across wasno more than fifty yards, but I would have swum a mile more readily indeep water. The place stank of crocodiles. There was no ripple tobreak the oily flow except where a derelict branch swayed with thecurrent. Something in the stillness, the eerie light on the water, andthe rotting smell of the swamp made that stream seem unhallowed anddeadly. 

I sat down and considered the matter. Crocodiles had always terrifiedme more than any created thing, and to be dragged by iron jaws to deathin that hideous stream seemed to me the most awful of endings. Yetcross it I must if I were to get rid of my human enemies. I remembereda story of an escaped prisoner during the war who had only the KomatiRiver between him and safety. But he dared not enter it, and wasrecaptured by a Boer commando. I was determined that such cowardiceshould not be laid to my charge. If I was to die, I would at leasthave given myself every chance of life. So I braced myself as best Icould, and looked for a place to enter. 

The veld-craft I had mastered had taught me a few things. One was thatwild animals drink at night, and that they have regular drinkingplaces. I thought that the likeliest place for crocodiles was at oraround such spots, and, therefore, I resolved to take the water awayfrom a drinking place. I went up the bank, noting where the narrowbush-paths emerged on the water-side. I scared away several littlebuck, and once the violent commotion in the bush showed that I hadfrightened some bigger animal, perhaps a hartebeest. Still followingthe bank I came to a reach where the undergrowth was unbroken and thewater looked deeper. 

Suddenly--I fear I must use this adverb often, for all the happeningson that night were sudden--I saw a biggish animal break through thereeds on the far side. It entered the water and, whether wading orswimming I could not see, came out a little distance. Then some sensemust have told it of my presence, for it turned and with a grunt madeits way back. 

I saw that it was a big wart-hog, and began to think. Pig, unlikeother beasts, drink not at night, but in the daytime. The hog had, therefore, not come to drink, but to swim across. Now, I argued, hewould choose a safe place, for the wart-hog, hideous though he is, is awise beast. What was safe for him would, therefore, in all likelihoodbe safe for me. 

With this hope to comfort me I prepared to enter. My first care wasthe jewels, so, feeling them precarious in my shirt, I twined thecollar round my neck and clasped it. The snake-clasp was no flimsydevice of modern jewellery, and I had no fear but that it would hold. I held the pistol between my teeth, and with a prayer to God slippedinto the muddy waters. 

I swam in the wild way of a beginner who fears cramp. The current waslight and the water moderately warm, but I seemed to go very slowly, and I was cold with apprehension. In the middle it suddenly shallowed, and my breast came against a mudshoal. I thought it was a crocodile, and in my confusion the pistol dropped from my mouth and disappeared. 

I waded a few steps and then plunged into deep water again. Almostbefore I knew, I was among the bulrushes, with my feet in the slime ofthe bank. With feverish haste I scrambled through the reeds and upthrough roots and undergrowth to the hard soil. I was across, but, alas, I had lost my only weapon. 

The swim and the anxiety had tired me considerably, and though it meantdelay, I did not dare to continue with the weight of water-loggedclothes to impede me. I found a dry sheltered place in the bush andstripped to the skin. I emptied my boots and wrung out my shirt andbreeches, while the Prester's jewels were blazing on my neck. Here wasa queer counterpart to Laputa in the cave!

The change revived me, and I continued my way in better form. So farthere had been no sign of pursuit. Before me the Letsitela was theonly other stream, and from what I remembered of its character near theBerg I thought I should have little trouble. It was smaller than theKlein Letaba, and a rushing torrent where shallows must be common. 

I kept running till I felt my shirt getting dry on my back. Then Irestored the jewels to their old home, and found their cool touch on mybreast very comforting. The country was getting more broken as Iadvanced. Little kopjes with thickets of wild bananas took the placeof the dead levels. Long before I reached the Letsitela, I saw that Iwas right in my guess. It ran, a brawling mountain stream, in a narrowrift in the bush. I crossed it almost dry-shod on the boulders above alittle fall, stopping for a moment to drink and lave my brow. 

After that the country changed again. The wood was now getting likethat which clothed the sides of the Berg. There were talltimber-trees--yellowwood, sneezewood, essenwood, stinkwood--and theground was carpeted with thick grass and ferns. The sight gave me myfirst earnest of safety. I was approaching my own country. Behind mewas heathendom and the black fever flats. In front were the coolmountains and bright streams, and the guns of my own folk. 

As I struggled on--for I was getting very footsore and weary--I becameaware of an odd sound in my rear. It was as if something werefollowing me. I stopped and listened with a sudden dread. CouldLaputa's trackers have got up with me already? But the sound was notof human feet. It was as if some heavy animal were plunging throughthe undergrowth. At intervals came the soft pad of its feet on thegrass. 

It must be the hungry lion of my nightmare, and Henriques' pistol wasin the mud of the Klein Letaba! The only thing was a tree, and I hadsprung for one and scrambled wearily into the first branches when agreat yellow animal came into the moonlight. 

Providence had done kindly in robbing me of my pistol. The next minuteI was on the ground with Colin leaping on me and baying with joy. Ihugged that blessed hound and buried my head in his shaggy neck, sobbing like a child. How he had traced me I can never tell. Thesecret belongs only to the Maker of good and faithful dogs. 

With him by my side I was a new man. The awesome loneliness had gone. I felt as if he were a message from my own people to take me safelyhome. He clearly knew the business afoot, for he padded beside me withnever a glance to right or left. Another time he would have beensnowking in every thicket; but now he was on duty, a serious, conscientious dog with no eye but for business. 

The moon went down, and the starry sky was our only light. The thickgloom which brooded over the landscape pointed to the night being fargone. I thought I saw a deeper blackness ahead which might be the lineof the Berg. Then came that period of utter stillness when every bushsound is hushed and the world seems to swoon. I felt almost impioushurrying through that profound silence, when not even the leavesstirred or a frog croaked. 

Suddenly as we came over a rise a little wind blew on the back of myhead, and a bitter chill came into the air. I knew from nights spentin the open that it was the precursor of dawn. Sure enough, as Iglanced back, far over the plain a pale glow was stealing upwards intothe sky. In a few minutes the pall melted into an airy haze, and aboveme I saw the heavens shot with tremors of blue light. Then theforeground began to clear, and there before me, with their heads stillmuffled in vapour, were the mountains. 

Xenophon's Ten Thousand did not hail the sea more gladly than Iwelcomed those frowning ramparts of the Berg. 

Once again my weariness was eased. I cried to Colin, and together weran down into the wide, shallow trough which lies at the foot of thehills. As the sun rose above the horizon, the black masses changed toemerald and rich umber, and the fleecy mists of the summits opened andrevealed beyond shining spaces of green. Some lines of Shakespeare ranin my head, which I have always thought the most beautiful of allpoetry:

 'Night's candles are burned out, and jocund day Walks tiptoe on the misty mountain tops. '

Up there among the clouds was my salvation. Like the Psalmist, Ilifted my eyes to the hills from whence came my aid. 

Hope is a wonderful restorative. To be near the hills, to smell theirodours, to see at the head of the glens the lines of the plateau wherewere white men and civilization--all gave me new life and courage. Colin saw my mood, and spared a moment now and then to inspect a holeor a covert. Down in the shallow trough I saw the links of a burn, theMachudi, which flowed down the glen it was my purpose to ascend. Awayto the north in the direction of Majinje's were patches of Kaffirtillage, and I thought I discerned the smoke from fires. Majinje'swomankind would be cooking their morning meal. To the south ran a thickpatch of forest, but I saw beyond it the spur of the mountain overwhich runs the highroad to Wesselsburg. The clear air of dawn was likewine in my blood. I was not free, but I was on the threshold offreedom. If I could only reach my friends with the Prester's collar inmy shirt, I would have performed a feat which would never be forgotten. I would have made history by my glorious folly. Breakfastless andfootsore, I was yet a proud man as I crossed the hollow to the mouth ofMachudi's glen. 

My chickens had been counted too soon, and there was to be no hatching. Colin grew uneasy, and began to sniff up wind. I was maybe a quarterof a mile from the glen foot, plodding through the long grass of thehollow, when the behaviour of the dog made me stop and listen. In thatstill air sounds carry far, and I seemed to hear the noise of feetbrushing through cover. The noise came both from north and south, fromthe forest and from the lower course of the Machudi. 

I dropped into shelter, and running with bent back got to the summit ofa little bush-clad knoll. It was Colin who first caught sight of mypursuers. He was staring at a rift in the trees, and suddenly gave ashort bark. I looked and saw two men, running hard, cross the grassand dip into the bed of the stream. A moment later I had a glimpse offigures on the edge of the forest, moving fast to the mouth of theglen. The pursuit had not followed me; it had waited to cut me off. Fool that I was, I had forgotten the wonders of Kaffir telegraphy. Ithad been easy for Laputa to send word thirty miles ahead to stop anywhite man who tried to cross the Berg. 

And then I knew that I was very weary. 

CHAPTER XV

MORNING IN THE BERG

I was perhaps half a mile the nearer to the glen, and was likely to getthere first. And after that? I could see the track winding by thewaterside and then crossing a hill-shoulder which diverted the stream. It was a road a man could scarcely ride, and a tired man would have ahard job to climb. I do not think that I had any hope. Myexhilaration had died as suddenly as it had been born. I saw myselfcaught and carried off to Laputa, who must now be close on therendezvous at Inanda's Kraal. I had no weapon to make a fight for it. My foemen were many and untired. It must be only a matter of minutestill I was in their hands. 

More in a dogged fury of disappointment than with any hope of escape Iforced my sore legs up the glen. Ten minutes ago I had been exultingin the glories of the morning, and now the sun was not less bright orthe colours less fair, but the heart had gone out of the spectator. Atfirst I managed to get some pace out of myself, partly from fear andpartly from anger. But I soon found that my body had been tried toofar. I could plod along, but to save my life I could not have hurried. Any healthy savage could have caught me in a hundred yards. 

The track, I remember, was overhung with creepers, and often I had tosqueeze through thickets of tree-ferns. Countless little brooks randown from the hillside, threads of silver among the green pastures. Soon I left the stream and climbed up on the shoulder, where the roadwas not much better than a precipice. Every step was a weariness. Icould hardly drag one foot after the other, and my heart was beatinglike the fanners of a mill, I had spasms of acute sickness, and it tookall my resolution to keep me from lying down by the roadside. 

At last I was at the top of the shoulder and could look back. There wasno sign of anybody on the road so far as I could see. Could I haveescaped them? I had been in the shadow of the trees for the firstpart, and they might have lost sight of me and concluded that I hadavoided the glen or tried one of the faces. Before me, I remember, there stretched the upper glen, a green cup-shaped hollow with thesides scarred by ravines. There was a high waterfall in one of themwhich was white as snow against the red rocks. My wits must have beenshaky, for I took the fall for a snowdrift, and wondered sillily whythe Berg had grown so Alpine. 

A faint spasm of hope took me into that green cup. The bracken was asthick as on the Pentlands, and there was a multitude of small lovelyflowers in the grass. It was like a water-meadow at home, such a placeas I had often in boyhood searched for moss-cheepers' and corncrakes'eggs. Birds were crying round me as I broke this solitude, and onesmall buck--a klipspringer--rose from my feet and dashed up one of thegullies. Before me was a steep green wall with the sky blue above it. Beyond it was safety, but as my sweat-dimmed eyes looked at it I knewthat I could never reach it. 

Then I saw my pursuers. High up on the left side, and rounding the rimof the cup, were little black figures. They had not followed my trail, but, certain of my purpose, had gone forward to intercept me. Iremember feeling a puny weakling compared with those lusty natives whocould make such good going on steep mountains. They were certainly nomen of the plains, but hillmen, probably some remnants of old Machudi'stribe who still squatted in the glen. Machudi was a blackguard chiefwhom the Boers long ago smashed in one of their native wars. He was afierce old warrior and had put up a good fight to the last, till ahired impi of Swazis had surrounded his hiding-place in the forest anddestroyed him. A Boer farmer on the plateau had his skull, and used todrink whisky out of it when he was merry. 

The sight of the pursuit was the last straw. I gave up hope, and myintentions were narrowed to one frantic desire--to hide the jewels. Patriotism, which I had almost forgotten, flickered up in that crisis. At any rate Laputa should not have the Snake. If he drove out thewhite man, he should not clasp the Prester's rubies on his great neck. 

There was no cover in the green cup, so I turned up the ravine on theright side. The enemy, so far as I could judge, were on the left andin front, and in the gully I might find a pot-hole to bury the neckletin. Only a desperate resolution took me through the tangle of juniperbushes into the red screes of the gully. At first I could not findwhat I sought. The stream in the ravine slid down a long slope like amill-race, and the sides were bare and stony. Still I plodded on, helping myself with a hand on Colin's back, for my legs were numb withfatigue. By-and-by the gully narrowed, and I came to a flat place witha long pool. Beyond was a little fall, and up this I climbed into anetwork of tiny cascades. Over one pool hung a dead tree-fern, and abay from it ran into a hole of the rock. I slipped the jewels far intothe hole, where they lay on the firm sand, showing odd lights throughthe dim blue water. Then I scrambled down again to the flat space andthe pool, and looked round to see if any one had reached the edge ofthe ravine. There was no sign as yet of the pursuit, so I droppedlimply on the shingle and waited. For I had suddenly conceived a plan. 

As my breath came back to me my wits came back from their wandering. These men were not there to kill me, but to capture me. They couldknow nothing of the jewels, for Laputa would never have dared to makethe loss of the sacred Snake public. Therefore they would not suspectwhat I had done, and would simply lead me to Laputa at Inanda's Kraal. I began to see the glimmerings of a plan for saving my life, and byGod's grace, for saving my country from the horrors of rebellion. Themore I thought the better I liked it. It demanded a bold front, and itmight well miscarry, but I had taken such desperate hazards during thepast days that I was less afraid of fortune. Anyhow, the choice laybetween certain death and a slender chance of life, and it was easy todecide. 

Playing football, I used to notice how towards the end of a game Imight be sore and weary, without a kick in my body; but when I had astraight job of tackling a man my strength miraculously returned. Itwas even so now. I lay on my side, luxuriating in being still, andslowly a sort of vigour crept back into my limbs. Perhaps a half-hourof rest was given me before, on the lip of the gully, I saw figuresappear. Looking down I saw several men who had come across from theopposite side of the valley, scrambling up the stream. I got to myfeet, with Colin bristling beside me, and awaited them with thestiffest face I could muster. 

As I expected, they were Machudi's men. I recognized them by the redochre in their hair and their copper-wire necklets. Big fellows theywere, long-legged and deep in the chest, the true breed ofmountaineers. I admired their light tread on the slippery rock. Itwas hopeless to think of evading such men in their own hills. 

The men from the side joined the men in front, and they stood lookingat me from about twelve yards off. They were armed only withknobkerries, and very clearly were no part of Laputa's army. This madetheir errand plain to me. 

'Halt!' I said in Kaffir, as one of them made a hesitating step toadvance. 'Who are you and what do you seek?'

There was no answer, but they looked at me curiously. Then one made amotion with his stick. Colin gave a growl, and would have been on himif I had not kept a hand on his collar. The rash man drew back, and allstood stiff and perplexed. 

'Keep your hands by your side, ' I said, 'or the dog, who has a devil, will devour you. One of you speak for the rest and tell me yourpurpose. '

For a moment I had a wild notion that they might be friends, some ofArcoll's scouts, and out to help me. But the first words shattered thefancy. 

'We are sent by Inkulu, ' the biggest of them said. 'He bade us bringyou to him. '

'And what if I refuse to go?'

'Then, Baas, we must take you to him. We are under the vow of theSnake. '

'Vow of fiddlestick!' I cried. 'Who do you think is the bigger chief, the Inkulu or Ratitswan? I tell you Ratitswan is now driving Inkulubefore him as a wind drives rotten leaves. It will be well for you, men of Machudi, to make peace with Ratitswan and take me to him on theBerg. If you bring me to him, I and he will reward you; but if you doInkulu's bidding you will soon be hunted like buck out of your hills. '

They grinned at one another, but I could see that my words had noeffect. Laputa had done his business too well. 

The spokesman shrugged his shoulders in the way the Kaffirs have. 'Wewish you no ill, Baas, but we have been bidden to take you to Inkulu. We cannot disobey the command of the Snake. '

My weakness was coming on me again, and I could talk no more. I satdown plump on the ground, almost falling into the pool. 'Take me toInkulu, ' I stammered with a dry throat, 'I do not fear him;' and Irolled half-fainting on my back. 

These clansmen of Machudi were decent fellows. One of them had someKaffir beer in a calabash, which he gave me to drink. The stuff wasthin and sickly, but the fermentation in it did me good. I had thesense to remember my need of sleep. 'The day is young, ' I said, 'and Ihave come far. I ask to be allowed to sleep for an hour. '

The men made no difficulty, and with my head between Colin's paws Islipped into dreamless slumber. 

When they wakened me the sun was beginning to climb the sky, I judgedit to be about eight o'clock. They had made a little fire and roastedmealies. Some of the food they gave me, and I ate it thankfully. Iwas feeling better, and I think a pipe would have almost completed mycure. 

But when I stood up I found that I was worse than I had thought. Thetruth is, I was leg-weary, which you often see in horses, but rarely inmen. What the proper explanation is I do not know, but the musclessimply refuse to answer the direction of the will. I found my legssprawling like a child's who is learning to walk. 

'If you want me to go to the Inkulu, you must carry me, ' I said, as Idropped once more on the ground. 

The men nodded, and set to work to make a kind of litter out of theirknobkerries and some old ropes they carried. As they worked andchattered I looked idly at the left bank of the ravine--that is, theleft as you ascend it. Some of Machudi's men had come down there, and, though the place looked sheer and perilous, I saw how they had managedit. I followed out bit by bit the track upwards, not with any thoughtof escape, but merely to keep my mind under control. The right roadwas from the foot of the pool up a long shelf to a clump of juniper. Then there was an easy chimney; then a piece of good hand-and-footclimbing; and last, another ledge which led by an easy gradient to thetop. I figured all this out as I have heard a condemned man will countthe windows of the houses on his way to the scaffold. 

Presently the litter was ready, and the men made signs to me to getinto it. They carried me down the ravine and up the Machudi burn tothe green walls at its head. I admired their bodily fitness, for theybore me up those steep slopes with never a halt, zigzagging in theproper style of mountain transport. In less than an hour we had toppedthe ridge, and the plateau was before me. 

It looked very homelike and gracious, rolling in gentle undulations tothe western horizon, with clumps of wood in its hollows. Far away Isaw smoke rising from what should be the village of the Iron Kranz. Itwas the country of my own people, and my captors behoved to gocautiously. They were old hands at veld-craft, and it was wonderfulthe way in which they kept out of sight even on the bare ridges. Arcoll could have taught them nothing in the art of scouting. At anincredible pace they hurried me along, now in a meadow by a streamside, now through a patch of forest, and now skirting a green shoulderof hill. 

Once they clapped down suddenly, and crawled into the lee of some thickbracken. Then very quietly they tied my hands and feet, and, noturgently, wound a dirty length of cotton over my mouth. Colin wasmeantime held tight and muzzled with a kind of bag strapped over hishead. To get this over his snapping jaws took the whole strength ofthe party. I guessed that we were nearing the highroad which runs fromthe plateau down the Great Letaba valley to the mining township ofWesselsburg, away out on the plain. The police patrols must be on thisroad, and there was risk in crossing. Sure enough I seemed to catch ajingle of bridles as if from some company of men riding in haste. 

We lay still for a little till the scouts came back and reported thecoast clear. Then we made a dart for the road, crossed it, and gotinto cover on the other side, where the ground sloped down to theLetaba glen. I noticed in crossing that the dust of the highway wasthick with the marks of shod horses. I was very near and yet very farfrom my own people. 

Once in the rocky gorge of the Letaba we advanced with less care. Wescrambled up a steep side gorge and came on to the small plateau fromwhich the Cloud Mountains rise. After that I was so tired that Idrowsed away, heedless of the bumping of the litter. We went up andup, and when I next opened my eyes we had gone through a pass into ahollow of the hills. There was a flat space a mile or two square, andall round it stern black ramparts of rock. This must be Inanda'sKraal, a strong place if ever one existed, for a few men could defendall the approaches. Considering that I had warned Arcoll of thisrendezvous, I marvelled that no attempt had been made to hold theentrance. The place was impregnable unless guns were brought up to theheights. I remember thinking of a story I had heard--how in the warBeyers took his guns into the Wolkberg, and thereby saved them from ourtroops. Could Arcoll be meditating the same exploit?

Suddenly I heard the sound of loud voices, and my litter was droppedroughly on the ground. I woke to clear consciousness in the midst ofpandemonium. 

CHAPTER XVI

INANDA'S KRAAL

The vow was at an end. In place of the silent army of yesterday a mobof maddened savages surged around me. They were chanting a wild song, and brandishing spears and rifles to its accompaniment. From theirbloodshot eyes stared the lust of blood, the fury of conquest, and allthe aboriginal passions on which Laputa had laid his spell. In my mindran a fragment from Laputa's prayer in the cave about the 'TerribleOnes. ' Machudi's men--stout fellows, they held their ground as long asthey could--were swept out of the way, and the wave of black savageryseemed to close over my head. 

I thought my last moment had come. Certainly it had but for Colin. The bag had been taken from his head, and the fellow of Machudi's haddropped the rope round his collar. In a red fury of wrath the dogleaped at my enemies. Though every man of them was fully armed, theyfell back, for I have noticed always that Kaffirs are mortally afraidof a white man's dog. Colin had the sense to keep beside me. Growlinglike a thunderstorm he held the ring around my litter. 

The breathing space would not have lasted long, but it gave me time toget to my feet. My wrists and feet had been unbound long before, andthe rest had cured my leg-weariness. I stood up in that fierce circlewith the clear knowledge that my life hung by a hair. 

'Take me to Inkulu, ' I cried. 'Dogs and fools, would you despise hisorders? If one hair of my head is hurt, he will flay you alive. Showme the way to him, and clear out of it. '

I dare say there was a break in my voice, for I was dismallyfrightened, but there must have been sufficient authority to get me ahearing. Machudi's men closed up behind me, and repeated my words withflourishes and gestures. But still the circle held. No man camenearer me, but none moved so as to give me passage. 

Then I screwed up my courage, and did the only thing possible. Iwalked straight into the circle, knowing well that I was running nolight risk. My courage, as I have already explained, is of little useunless I am doing something. I could not endure another minute ofsitting still with those fierce eyes on me. 

The circle gave way. Sullenly they made a road for me, closing upbehind on my guards, so that Machudi's men were swallowed in the mob, Alone I stalked forward with all that huge yelling crowd behind me. 

I had not far to go. Inanda's Kraal was a cluster of kyas androndavels, shaped in a half-moon, with a flat space between the houses, where grew a big merula tree. All around was a medley of little fires, with men squatted beside them. Here and there a party had finishedtheir meal, and were swaggering about with a great shouting. The mobinto which I had fallen was of this sort, and I saw others within theconfines of the camp. But around the merula tree there was a gatheringof chiefs, if I could judge by the comparative quiet and dignity of themen, who sat in rows on the ground. A few were standing, and amongthem I caught sight of Laputa's tall figure. I strode towards it, wondering if the chiefs would let me pass. 

The hubbub of my volunteer attendants brought the eyes of the companyround to me. In a second it seemed every man was on his feet. I couldonly pray that Laputa would get to me before his friends had time tospear me. I remember I fixed my eyes on a spur of hill beyond thekraal, and walked on with the best resolution I could find. Already Ifelt in my breast some of the long thin assegais of Umbooni's men. 

But Laputa did not intend that I should be butchered. A word from himbrought his company into order, and the next thing I knew I was facinghim, where he stood in front of the biggest kya, with Henriques besidehim, and some of the northern indunas. Henriques looked ghastly in theclear morning light, and he had a linen rag bound round his head andjaw, as if he suffered from toothache. His face was more livid, hiseyes more bloodshot, and at the sight of me his hand went to his belt, and his teeth snapped. But he held his peace, and it was Laputa whospoke. He looked straight through me, and addressed Machudi's men. 

'You have brought back the prisoner. That is well, and your servicewill be remembered. Go to 'Mpefu's camp on the hill there, and youwill be given food. '

The men departed, and with them fell away the crowd which had followedme. I was left, very giddy and dazed, to confront Laputa and hischiefs. The whole scene was swimming before my eyes. I remember therewas a clucking of hens from somewhere behind the kraal, which called upridiculous memories. I was trying to remember the plan I had made inMachudi's glen. I kept saying to myself like a parrot: 'The armycannot know about the jewels. Laputa must keep his loss secret. I canget my life from him if I offer to give them back. ' It had sounded agood scheme three hours before, but with the man's hard face before me, it seemed a frail peg to hang my fate on. 

Laputa's eye fell on me, a clear searching eye with a question in it. 

There was something he was trying to say to me which he dared not putinto words. I guessed what the something was, for I saw his glance runover my shirt and my empty pockets. 

'You have made little of your treachery, ' he said. 'Fool, did youthink to escape me? I could bring you back from the ends of the earth. '

'There was no treachery, ' I replied. 'Do you blame a prisoner fortrying to escape? When shooting began I found myself free, and I tookthe road for home. Ask Machudi's men and they will tell you that Icame quietly with them, when I saw that the game was up. '

He shrugged his shoulders. 'It matters very little what you did. Youare here now. -- Tie him up and put him in my kya, ' he said to thebodyguard. 'I have something to say to him before he dies. '

As the men laid hands on me, I saw the exultant grin on Henriques'face. It was more than I could endure. 

'Stop, ' I said. 'You talk of traitors, Mr Laputa. There is thebiggest and blackest at your elbow. That man sent word to Arcoll aboutyour crossing at Dupree's Drift. At our outspan at noon yesterday hecame to me and offered me my liberty if I would help him. He told mehe was a spy, and I flung his offer in his face. It was he who shotthe Keeper by the river side, and would have stolen the Snake if I hadnot broken his head. You call me a traitor, and you let that thinglive, though he has killed your priest and betrayed your plans. Killme if you like, but by God let him die first. '

I do not know how the others took the revelation, for my eyes were onlyfor the Portugoose. He made a step towards me, his hands twitching byhis sides. 

'You lie, ' he screamed in that queer broken voice which much fevergives. 'It was this English hound that killed the Keeper, and felledme when I tried to save him. The man who insults my honour is dead. 'And he plucked from his belt a pistol. 

A good shot does not miss at two yards. I was never nearer my end thanin that fraction of time while the weapon came up to the aim. It wasscarcely a second, but it was enough for Colin. The dog had kept myside, and had stood docilely by me while Laputa spoke. The truth is, he must have been as tired as I was. As the Kaffirs approached to layhands on me he had growled menacingly, but when I spoke again he hadstopped. Henriques' voice had convinced him of a more urgent danger, and so soon as the trigger hand of the Portugoose rose, the dog sprang. The bullet went wide, and the next moment dog and man were strugglingon the ground. 

A dozen hands held me from going to Colin's aid, but oddly enough noone stepped forward to help Henriques. The ruffian kept his head, andthough the dog's teeth were in his shoulder, he managed to get hisright hand free. I saw what would happen, and yelled madly in myapprehension. The yellow wrist curved, and the pistol barrel waspressed below the dog's shoulder. Thrice he fired, the grip relaxed, and Colin rolled over limply, fragments of shirt still hanging from hisjaw. The Portugoose rose slowly with his hand to his head, and a thinstream of blood dripping from his shoulder. As I saw the faithful eyesglazing in death, and knew that I had lost the best of all comrades, Iwent clean berserk mad. The cluster of men round me, who had beenstaring open-eyed at the fight, were swept aside like reeds. I wentstraight for the Portugoose, determined that, pistol or no pistol, Iwould serve him as he had served my dog. 

For my years I was a well-set-up lad, long in the arms and deep in thechest. But I had not yet come to my full strength, and in any case Icould not hope to fight the whole of Laputa's army. I was flung backand forwards like a shuttlecock. They played some kind of game withme, and I could hear the idiotic Kaffir laughter. It was blind man'sbuff, so far as I was concerned, for I was blind with fury. I struckout wildly left and right, beating the air often, but sometimes gettingin a solid blow on hard black flesh. I was soundly beaten myself, pricked with spears, and made to caper for savage sport. Suddenly I sawLaputa before me, and hurled myself madly at his chest. Some one gaveme a clout on the head, and my senses fled. 

When I came to myself, I was lying on a heap of mealie-stalks in a darkroom. I had a desperate headache, and a horrid nausea, which made mefall back as soon as I tried to raise myself. A voice came out of thedarkness as I stirred--a voice speaking English. 

'Are you awake, Mr Storekeeper?'

The voice was Laputa's, but I could not see him. The room was pitchdark, except for a long ray of sunlight on the floor. 

'I'm awake, ' I said. 'What do you want with me?'

Some one stepped out of the gloom and sat down near me. A naked blackfoot broke the belt of light on the floor. 

'For God's sake get me a drink, ' I murmured. The figure rose andfetched a pannikin of water from a pail. I could hear the cool trickleof the drops on the metal. A hand put the dish to my mouth, and Idrank water with a strong dash of spirits. This brought back mynausea, and I collapsed on the mealie-stalks till the fit passed. Againthe voice spoke, this time from close at hand. 

'You are paying the penalty of being a fool, Mr Storekeeper. You areyoung to die, but folly is common in youth. In an hour you will regretthat you did not listen to my advice at Umvelos'. '

I clawed at my wits and strove to realize what he was saying. He spokeof death within an hour. If it only came sharp and sudden, I did notmind greatly. The plan I had made had slipped utterly out of my mind. My body was so wretched, that I asked only for rest. I was verylighthearted and foolish at that moment. 

'Kill me if you like, ' I whispered. 'Some day you will pay dearly forit all. But for God's sake go away and leave me alone. '

Laputa laughed. It was a horrid sound in the darkness. 

'You are brave, Mr Storekeeper, but I have seen a brave man's courageebb very fast when he saw the death which I have arranged for you. Would you like to hear something of it by way of preparation?'

In a low gentle voice he began to tell me mysteries of awful cruelty. At first I scarcely heard him, but as he went on my brain seemed towake from its lethargy. I listened with freezing blood. Not in mywildest nightmares had I imagined such a fate. Then in despite ofmyself a cry broke from me. 

'It interests you?' Laputa asked. 'I could tell you more, butsomething must be left to the fancy. Yours should be an active one, 'and his hand gripped my shaking wrist and felt my pulse. 

'Henriques will see that the truth does not fall short of my forecast, 'he went on. 'For I have appointed Henriques your executioner. '

The name brought my senses back to me. 

'Kill me, ' I said, 'but for God's sake kill Henriques too. If you didjustice you would let me go and roast the Portugoose alive. But for methe Snake would be over the Lebombo by this time in Henriques' pocket. '

'But it is not, my friend. It was stolen by a storekeeper, who willshortly be wishing he had died in his mother's womb. '

My plan was slowly coming back to me. 

'If you value Prester John's collar, you will save my life. What willyour rising be without the Snake? Would they follow you a yard if theysuspected you had lost it?'

'So you would threaten me, ' Laputa said very gently. Then in a burstof wrath he shouted, 'They will follow me to hell for my own sake. Imbecile, do you think my power is built on a trinket? When you are inyour grave, I will be ruling a hundred millions from the proudestthrone on earth. '

He sprang to his feet, and pulled back a shutter of the window, lettinga flood of light into the hut. In that light I saw that he had in hishands the ivory box which had contained the collar. 

'I will carry the casket through the wars, ' he cried, 'and if I choosenever to open it, who will gainsay me? You besotted fool, to thinkthat any theft of yours could hinder my destiny!' He was the blusteringsavage again, and I preferred him in the part. All that he said mightbe true, but I thought I could detect in his voice a keen regret, andin his air a touch of disquiet. The man was a fanatic, and like allfanatics had his superstitions. 

'Yes, ' I said, 'but when you mount the throne you speak of, it would bea pity not to have the rubies on your neck after all your talk in thecave. '

I thought he would have throttled me. He glowered down at me withmurder in his eyes. Then he dashed the casket on the floor with suchviolence that it broke into fragments. 

'Give me back the Ndhlondhlo, ' he cried, like a petted child. 'Give meback the collar of John. '

This was the moment I had been waiting for. 

'Now see here, Mr Laputa, ' I said. 'I am going to talk business. Before you started this rising, you were a civilized man with a goodeducation. Well, just remember that education for a minute, and lookat the matter in a sensible light. I'm not like the Portugoose. Idon't want to steal your rubies. I swear to God that what I have toldyou is true. Henriques killed the priest, and would have bagged thejewels if I had not laid him out. I ran away because I was going to bekilled to-day, and I took the collar to keep it out of Henriques'hands. I tell you I would never have shot the old man myself. Verywell, what happened? Your men overtook me, and I had no choice but tosurrender. Before they reached me, I hid the collar in a place I knowof. Now, I am going to make you a fair and square businessproposition. You may be able to get on without the Snake, but I cansee you want it back. I am in a tight place and want nothing so muchas my life. I offer to trade with you. Give me my life, and I willtake you to the place and put the jewels in your hand. Otherwise youmay kill me, but you will never see the collar of John again. '

I still think that was a pretty bold speech for a man to make in apredicament like mine. But it had its effect. Laputa ceased to be thebarbarian king, and talked like a civilized man. 

'That is, as you call it, a business proposition. But supposing Irefuse it? Supposing I take measures here--in this kraal--to make youspeak, and then send for the jewels. '

'There are several objections, ' I said, quite cheerfully, for I feltthat I was gaining ground. 'One is that I could not explain to anymortal soul how to find the collar. I know where it is, but I couldnot impart the knowledge. Another is that the country between here andMachudi's is not very healthy for your people. Arcoll's men are allover it, and you cannot have a collection of search parties rummagingabout in the glen for long. Last and most important, if you send anyone for the jewels, you confess their loss. No, Mr Laputa, if you wantthem back, you must go yourself and take me with you. '

He stood silent for a little, with his brows knit in thought. Then heopened the door and went out. I guessed that he had gone to discoverfrom his scouts the state of the country between Inanda's Kraal andMachudi's glen. Hope had come back to me, and I sat among themealie-stalks trying to plan the future. If he made a bargain Ibelieved he would keep it. Once set free at the head of Machudi's, Ishould be within an hour or two of Arcoll's posts. So far, I had donenothing for the cause. My message had been made useless by Henriques'treachery, and I had stolen the Snake only to restore it. But if I gotoff with my life, there would be work for me to do in the Armageddonwhich I saw approaching. Should I escape, I wondered. What wouldhinder Laputa from setting his men to follow me, and seize me before Icould get into safety? My only chance was that Arcoll might have beenbusy this day, and the countryside too full of his men to let Laputa'sKaffirs through. But if this was so, Laputa and I should be stopped, and then Laputa would certainly kill me. I wished--and yet I did notwish--that Arcoll should hold all approaches. As I reflected, my firstexhilaration died away. The scales were still heavily weighted againstme. 

Laputa returned, closing the door behind him. 

'I will bargain with you on my own terms. You shall have your life, and in return you will take me to the place where you hid the collar, and put it into my hands. I will ride there, and you will run besideme, tied to my saddle. If we are in danger from the white men, I willshoot you dead. Do you accept?'

'Yes, ' I said, scrambling to my feet, and ruefully testing my shakylegs. 'But if you want me to get to Machudi's you must go slowly, forI am nearly foundered. '

Then he brought out a Bible, and made me swear on it that I would do asI promised. 

'Swear to me in turn, ' I said, 'that you will give me my life if Irestore the jewels. '

He swore, kissing the book like a witness in a police-court. I hadforgotten that the man called himself a Christian. 

'One thing more I ask, ' I said. 'I want my dog decently buried. ' 'Thathas been already done, ' was the reply. 'He was a brave animal, and mypeople honour bravery. '

CHAPTER XVII

A DEAL AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

My eyes were bandaged tight, and a thong was run round my right wristand tied to Laputa's saddle-bow. I felt the glare of the afternoon sunon my head, and my shins were continually barked by stones and trees;but these were my only tidings of the outer world. By the sound of hispaces Laputa was riding the Schimmel, and if any one thinks it easy togo blindfold by a horse's side I hope he will soon have the experience. In the darkness I could not tell the speed of the beast. When I ran Iovershot it and was tugged back; when I walked my wrist was dislocatedwith the tugs forward. 

For an hour or more I suffered this breakneck treatment. We weredescending. Often I could hear the noise of falling streams, and oncewe splashed through a mountain ford. Laputa was taking no risks, for heclearly had in mind the possibility of some accident which would set mefree, and he had no desire to have me guiding Arcoll to his camp. 

But as I stumbled and sprawled down these rocky tracks I was notthinking of Laputa's plans. My whole soul was filled with regret forColin, and rage against his murderer. After my first mad rush I hadnot thought about my dog. He was dead, but so would I be in an hour ortwo, and there was no cause to lament him. But at the first revival ofhope my grief had returned. As they bandaged my eyes I was wishingthat they would let me see his grave. As I followed beside Laputa Itold myself that if ever I got free, when the war was over I would goto Inanda's Kraal, find the grave, and put a tombstone over it inmemory of the dog that saved my life. I would also write that the manwho shot him was killed on such and such a day at such and such a placeby Colin's master. I wondered why Laputa had not the wits to see thePortugoose's treachery and to let me fight him. I did not care whatwere the weapons--knives or guns, or naked fists--I would certainlykill him, and afterwards the Kaffirs could do as they pleased with me. Hot tears of rage and weakness wet the bandage on my eyes, and the sobswhich came from me were not only those of weariness. 

At last we halted. Laputa got down and took off the bandage, and Ifound myself in one of the hill-meadows which lie among the foothillsof the Wolkberg. The glare blinded me, and for a little I could onlysee the marigolds growing at my feet. Then I had a glimpse of the deepgorge of the Great Letaba below me, and far to the east the flatsrunning out to the hazy blue line of the Lebombo hills. Laputa let mesit on the ground for a minute or two to get my breath and rest myfeet. 'That was a rough road, ' he said. 'You can take it easier now, for I have no wish to carry you. ' He patted the Schimmel, and thebeautiful creature turned his mild eyes on the pair of us. I wonderedif he recognized his rider of two nights ago. 

I had seen Laputa as the Christian minister, as the priest and king inthe cave, as the leader of an army at Dupree's Drift, and at the kraalwe had left as the savage with all self-control flung to the winds. Iwas to see this amazing man in a further part. For he now became afriendly and rational companion. He kept his horse at an easy walk, and talked to me as if we were two friends out for a trip together. Perhaps he had talked thus to Arcoll, the half-caste who drove hisCape-cart. 

The wooded bluff above Machudi's glen showed far in front. He told methe story of the Machudi war, which I knew already, but he told it as asaga. There had been a stratagem by which one of the Boer leaders--aGrobelaar, I think--got some of his men into the enemy's camp by hidingthem in a captured forage wagon. 

'Like the Trojan horse, ' I said involuntarily. 

'Yes, ' said my companion, 'the same old device, ' and to my amazement hequoted some lines of Virgil. 

'Do you understand Latin?' he asked. 

I told him that I had some slight knowledge of the tongue, acquired atthe university of Edinburgh. Laputa nodded. He mentioned the name ofa professor there, and commented on his scholarship. 

'O man!' I cried, 'what in God's name are you doing in this business?You that are educated and have seen the world, what makes you try toput the clock back? You want to wipe out the civilization of athousand years, and turn us all into savages. It's the more shame toyou when you know better. '

'You misunderstand me, ' he said quietly. 'It is because I have suckedcivilization dry that I know the bitterness of the fruit. I want asimpler and better world, and I want that world for my own people. Iam a Christian, and will you tell me that your civilization pays muchattention to Christ? You call yourself a patriot? Will you not giveme leave to be a patriot in turn?'

'If you are a Christian, what sort of Christianity is it to deluge theland with blood?'

'The best, ' he said. 'The house must be swept and garnished before theman of the house can dwell in it. You have read history, Such apurging has descended on the Church at many times, and the world hasawakened to a new hope. It is the same in all religions. The templesgrow tawdry and foul and must be cleansed, and, let me remind you, thecleanser has always come out of the desert. '

I had no answer, being too weak and forlorn to think. But I fastenedon his patriotic plea. 

'Where are the patriots in your following? They are all red Kaffirscrying for blood and plunder. Supposing you were Oliver Cromwell youcould make nothing out of such a crew. '

'They are my people, ' he said simply. 

By this time we had forded the Great Letaba, and were making our waythrough the clumps of forest to the crown of the plateau. I noticedthat Laputa kept well in cover, preferring the tangle of woodedundergrowth to the open spaces of the water-meadows. As he talked, hiswary eyes were keeping a sharp look-out over the landscape. I thrilledwith the thought that my own folk were near at hand. 

Once Laputa checked me with his hand as I was going to speak, and insilence we crossed the kloof of a little stream. After that we struck along strip of forest and he slackened his watch. 

'If you fight for a great cause, ' I said, 'why do you let a miscreantlike Henriques have a hand in it? You must know that the man's onlyinterest in you is the chance of loot. I am for you against Henriques, and I tell you plain that if you don't break the snake's back it willsting you. '

Laputa looked at me with an odd, meditative look. 

'You misunderstand again, Mr Storekeeper. The Portuguese is what youcall a "mean white. " His only safety is among us. I am campaignerenough to know that an enemy, who has a burning grievance against myother enemies, is a good ally. You are too hard on Henriques. You andyour friends have treated him as a Kaffir, and a Kaffir he is ineverything but Kaffir virtues. What makes you so anxious thatHenriques should not betray me?'

'I'm not a mean white, ' I said, 'and I will speak the truth. I hope, in God's name, to see you smashed; but I want it done by honest men, and not by a yellow devil who has murdered my dog and my friends. Sooner or later you will find him out; and if he escapes you, andthere's any justice in heaven, he won't escape me. '

'Brave words, ' said Laputa, with a laugh, and then in one second hebecame rigid in the saddle. We had crossed a patch of meadow andentered a wood, beyond which ran the highway. I fancy he was out in hisreckoning, and did not think the road so near. At any rate, after amoment he caught the sound of horses, and I caught it too. The woodwas thin, and there was no room for retreat, while to recross themeadow would bring us clean into the open. He jumped from his horse, untied with amazing quickness the rope halter from its neck, andstarted to gag me by winding the thing round my jaw. 

I had no time to protest that I would keep faith, and my right hand wastethered to his pommel. In the grip of these great arms I washelpless, and in a trice was standing dumb as a lamp-post; whileLaputa, his left arm round both of mine, and his right hand over theschimmel's eyes, strained his ears like a sable antelope who hasscented danger. 

There was never a more brutal gagging. The rope crushed my nose anddrove my lips down on my teeth, besides gripping my throat so that Icould scarcely breathe. The pain was so great that I became sick, andwould have fallen but for Laputa. Happily I managed to get my teethapart, so that one coil slipped between, and eased the pain of thejaws. But the rest was bad enough to make me bite frantically on thetow, and I think in a little my sharp front teeth would have severedit. All this discomfort prevented me seeing what happened. The wood, as I have said, was thin, and through the screen of leaves I had aconfused impression of men and horses passing interminably. There canonly have been a score at the most; but the moments drag if a cord isgripping your throat. When Laputa at length untied me, I had anotherfit of nausea, and leaned helplessly against a tree. 

Laputa listened till the sound of the horses had died away; thensilently we stole to the edge of the road, across, and into the thickerevergreen bush on the far side. At a pace which forced me to run hard, we climbed a steepish slope, till ahead of us we saw the bald greencrown of the meadowlands. I noticed that his face had grown dark andsullen again. He was in an enemy's country, and had the air of thehunted instead of the hunter. When I stopped he glowered at me, andonce, when I was all but overcome with fatigue, he lifted his hand in athreat. Had he carried a sjambok, it would have fallen on my back. 

If he was nervous, so was I. The fact that I was out of the Kaffircountry and in the land of my own folk was a kind of qualified liberty. At any moment, I felt, Providence might intervene to set me free. Itwas in the bond that Laputa should shoot me if we were attacked; but apistol might miss. As far as my shaken wits would let me, I began toforecast the future. Once he got the jewels my side of the bargain wascomplete. He had promised me my life, but there had been nothing saidabout my liberty; and I felt assured that Laputa would never allow onewho had seen so much to get off to Arcoll with his tidings. But backto that unhallowed kraal I was resolved I would not go. He was armed, and I was helpless; he was strong, and I was dizzy with weakness; hewas mounted, and I was on foot: it seemed a poor hope that I should getaway. There was little chance from a wandering patrol, for I knew if wewere followed I should have a bullet in my head, while Laputa got offon the Schimmel. I must wait and bide events. At the worst, a cleanshot on the hillside in a race for life was better than the unknownmysteries of the kraal. I prayed earnestly to God to show me Hismercy, for if ever man was sore bested by the heathen it was I. 

To my surprise, Laputa chose to show himself on the greenhill-shoulder. He looked towards the Wolkberg and raised his hands. It must have been some signal. I cast my eyes back on the road we hadcome, and I thought I saw some figures a mile back, on the edge of theLetaba gorge. He was making sure of my return. 

By this time it was about four in the afternoon, and as heavenlyweather as the heart of man could wish. The meadows were full ofaromatic herbs, which, as we crushed them, sent up a delicate odour. The little pools and shallows of the burns were as clear as a Lothiantrout-stream. We were now going at a good pace, and I found that myearlier weariness was growing less. I was being keyed up for somegreat crisis, for in my case the spirit acts direct on the body, andfatigue grows and ebbs with hope. I knew that my strength was not farfrom breaking-point; but I knew also that so long as a chance was leftme I should have enough for a stroke. 

Before I realized where we were we had rounded the hill, and werelooking down on the green cup of the upper Machudi's glen. Far down, Iremember, where the trees began, there was a cloud of smoke. SomeKaffir--or maybe Arcoll--had fired the forest. The smoke was driftingaway under a light west wind over the far plains, so that they wereseen through a haze of opal. 

Laputa bade me take the lead. I saw quite clear the red kloof on thefar side, where the collar was hid. To get there we might have riddenstraight into the cup, but a providential instinct made me circle roundthe top till we were on the lip of the ravine. This was the road someof Machudi's men had taken, and unthinkingly I followed them. Twentyminutes' riding brought us to the place, and all the while I had nokind of plan of escape. I was in the hands of my Maker, watching, likethe Jews of old, for a sign. 

Laputa dismounted and looked down into the gorge. 

'There is no road there, ' I said. 'We must go down to the foot andcome up the stream-side. It would be better to leave your horse here. 'He started down the cliff, which from above looks a sheer precipice. Then he seemed to agree with me, took the rope from the schimmel'sneck, and knee-haltered his beast. And at that moment I had aninspiration. 

With my wrist-rope in his hand, he preceded me down the hill till wegot to the red screes at the foot of the kloof. Then, under myguidance, we turned up into the darkness of the gorge. As we entered Ilooked back, and saw figures coming over the edge of the greencup--Laputa's men, I guessed. What I had to do must be done quickly. 

We climbed up the burn, over the succession of little cataracts, tillwe came to the flat space of shingle and the long pool where I had beentaken that morning. The ashes of the fire which Machudi's men had madewere plain on the rock. After that I had to climb a waterfall to get tothe rocky pool where I had bestowed the rubies. 

'You must take off this thong, ' I said. 'I must climb to get thecollar. Cover me with a pistol if you like. I won't be out of sight. '

Laputa undid the thong and set me free. From his belt he took apistol, cocked it, and held it over his left hand. I had seen this wayof shooting adopted by indifferent shots, and it gave me a wild hopethat he might not be much of a marksman. 

It did not take me long to find the pool, close against the blackenedstump of a tree-fern. I thrust in my hand and gathered up the jewelsfrom the cool sand. They came out glowing like living fires, and for amoment I thrilled with a sense of reverence. Surely these were nocommon stones which held in them the very heart of hell. Clutchingthem tightly, I climbed down to Laputa. 

At the sight of the great Snake he gave a cry of rapture. Tearing itfrom me, he held it at arm's length, his face lit with a passionatejoy. He kissed it, he raised it to the sky; nay, he was on his kneesbefore it. Once more he was the savage transported in the presence ofhis fetich. He turned to me with burning eyes. 

'Down on your knees, ' he cried, 'and reverence the Ndhlondhlo. Down, you impious dog, and seek pardon for your sacrilege. '

'I won't, ' I said. 'I won't bow to any heathen idol. '

He pointed his pistol at me. 

'In a second I shoot where your head is now. Down, you fool, orperish. '

'You promised me my life, ' I said stubbornly, though Heaven knows why Ichose to act thus. 

He dropped the pistol and flung himself on me. I was helpless as ababy in his hands. He forced me to the ground and rolled my face inthe sand; then he pulled me to my feet and tossed me backward, till Ialmost staggered into the pool. I saved myself, and staggered insteadinto the shallow at the foot of it, close under the ledge of theprecipice. 

That morning, when Machudi's men were cooking breakfast, I had figuredout a route up the cliff. This route was now my hope of escape. Laputa had dropped his pistol, and the collar had plunged him in anecstasy of worship. Now, if ever, was my time. I must get on theshelf which ran sideways up the cliff, and then scramble for dear life. 

I pretended to be dazed and terrified. 

'You promised me my life, ' I whimpered. 

'Your life, ' he cried. 'Yes, you shall have your life; and before longyou will pray for death. '

'But I saved the Collar, ' I pleaded. 'Henriques would have stolen it. I brought it safe here, and now you have got it. '

Meantime I was pulling myself up on the shelf, and loosening with onehand a boulder which overhung the pool. 

'You have been repaid, ' he said savagely. 'You will not die. '

'But my life is no use without liberty, ' I said, working at the bouldertill it lay loose in its niche. 

He did not answer, being intent on examining the Collar to see if ithad suffered any harm. 

'I hope it isn't scratched, ' I said. 'Henriques trod on it when I hithim. '

Laputa peered at the gems like a mother at a child who has had a fall. I saw my chance and took it. With a great heave I pulled the boulderdown into the pool. It made a prodigious splash, sending a shower ofspray over Laputa and the Collar. In cover of it I raced up the shelf, straining for the shelter of the juniper tree. 

A shot rang out and struck the rock above me. A second later I hadreached the tree and was scrambling up the crack beyond it. 

Laputa did not fire again. He may have distrusted his shooting, orseen a better way of it. He dashed through the stream and ran up theshelf like a klipspringer after me. I felt rather than saw what washappening, and with my heart in my mouth I gathered my dregs of energyfor the last struggle. 

You know the nightmare when you are pursued by some awful terror, and, though sick with fear, your legs have a strange numbness, and youcannot drag them in obedience to the will. Such was my feeling in thecrack above the juniper tree. In truth, I had passed the bounds of myendurance. Last night I had walked fifty miles, and all day I hadborne the torments of a dreadful suspense. I had been bound and gaggedand beaten till the force was out of my limbs. Also, and above all, Ihad had little food, and I was dizzy with want of sleep. My feet seemedleaden, my hands had no more grip than putty. I do not know how Iescaped falling into the pool, for my head was singing and my heartthumping in my throat. I seemed to feel Laputa's great hand everysecond clawing at my heels. 

I had reason for my fears. He had entered the crack long before I hadreached the top, and his progress was twice as fast as mine. When Iemerged on the topmost shelf he was scarcely a yard behind me. But anoverhang checked his bulky figure and gave me a few seconds' grace. Ineeded it all, for these last steps on the shelf were the totterings ofan old man. Only a desperate resolution and an extreme terror made medrag one foot after the other. Blindly I staggered on to the top ofthe ravine, and saw before me the Schimmel grazing in the light of thewestering sun. 

I forced myself into a sort of drunken run, and crawled into thesaddle. Behind me, as I turned, I could see Laputa's shoulders risingover the edge. I had no knife to cut the knee-halter, and the horsecould not stir. 

Then the miracle happened. When the rope had gagged me, my teeth musthave nearly severed it at one place, and this Laputa had not noticedwhen he used it as a knee-halter. The shock of my entering the saddlemade the Schimmel fling up his head violently, and the rope snapped. Icould not find the stirrups, but I dug my heels into his sides, and heleaped forward. 

At the same moment Laputa began to shoot. It was a foolish move, forhe might have caught me by running, since I had neither spurs nor whip, and the horse was hampered by the loose end of rope at his knee. Inany case, being an indifferent shot, he should have aimed at theSchimmel, not at me; but I suppose he wished to save his charger. Onebullet sang past my head; a second did my business for me. It passedover my shoulder, as I lay low in the saddle, and grazed the beast'sright ear. The pain maddened him, and, rope-end and all, he plungedinto a wild gallop. Other shots came, but they fell far short. I sawdimly a native or two--the men who had followed us--rush to interceptme, and I think a spear was flung. But in a flash we were past them, and their cries faded behind me. I found the bridle, reached for thestirrups, and galloped straight for the sunset and for freedom. 

CHAPTER XVIII

HOW A MAN MAY SOMETIMES PUT HIS TRUST IN A HORSE

I had long passed the limit of my strength. Only constant fear andwild alternations of hope had kept me going so long, and now that I wassafe I became light-headed in earnest. The wonder is that I did notfall off. Happily the horse was good and the ground easy, for I waspowerless to do any guiding. I simply sat on his back in a silly glowof comfort, keeping a line for the dying sun, which I saw in a nick ofthe Iron Crown Mountain. A sort of childish happiness possessed me. After three days of imminent peril, to be free was to be in fairyland. To be swishing through the long bracken or plunging among thebreast-high flowers of the meadowlands in a world of essential lightsand fragrances, seemed scarcely part of mortal experience. Rememberthat I was little more than a lad, and that I had faced death so oftenof late that my mind was all adrift. To be able to hope once more, nay, to be allowed to cease both from hope and fear, was like a deepand happy opiate to my senses. Spent and frail as I was, my soul swamin blessed waters of ease. 

The mood did not last long. I came back to earth with a shock, as theschimmel stumbled at the crossing of a stream. I saw that the darknesswas fast falling, and with the sight panic returned to me. Behind me Iseemed to hear the sound of pursuit. The noise was in my ears, butwhen I turned it ceased, and I saw only the dusky shoulders of hills. 

I tried to remember what Arcoll had told me about his headquarters, butmy memory was wiped clean. I thought they were on or near the highway, but I could not remember where the highway was. Besides, he was closeto the enemy, and I wanted to get back into the towns, far away fromthe battle-line. If I rode west I must come in time to villages, whereI could hide myself. These were unworthy thoughts, but my excuse mustbe my tattered nerves. When a man comes out of great danger, he is aptto be a little deaf to the call of duty. 

Suddenly I became ashamed. God had preserved me from deadly perils, but not that I might cower in some shelter. I had a mission as clearas Laputa's. For the first time I became conscious to what a littlething I owed my salvation. That matter of the broken halter was likethe finger of Divine Providence. I had been saved for a purpose, andunless I fulfilled that purpose I should again be lost. I was always afatalist, and in that hour of strained body and soul I became somethingof a mystic. My panic ceased, my lethargy departed, and a more manlyresolution took their place. I gripped the Schimmel by the head andturned him due left. Now I remembered where the highroad ran, and Iremembered something else. 

For it was borne in on me that Laputa had fallen into my hands. Without any subtle purpose I had played a master game. He was cut offfrom his people, without a horse, on the wrong side of the highroadwhich Arcoll's men patrolled. Without him the rising would crumble. There might be war, even desperate war, but we should fight against aleaderless foe. If he could only be shepherded to the north, his gamewas over, and at our leisure we could mop up the scatteredconcentrations. 

I was now as eager to get back into danger as I had been to get intosafety. Arcoll must be found and warned, and that at once, or Laputawould slip over to Inanda's Kraal under cover of dark. It was a matterof minutes, and on these minutes depended the lives of thousands. Itwas also a matter of ebbing strength, for with my return to commonsense I saw very clearly how near my capital was spent. If I couldreach the highroad, find Arcoll or Arcoll's men, and give them my news, I would do my countrymen a service such as no man in Africa couldrender. But I felt my head swimming, I was swaying crazily in thesaddle, and my hands had scarcely the force of a child's. I could onlylie limply on the horse's back, clutching at his mane with tremblingfingers. I remember that my head was full of a text from the Psalmsabout not putting one's trust in horses. I prayed that this one horsemight be an exception, for he carried more than Caesar and his fortunes. 

My mind is a blank about those last minutes. In less than an hourafter my escape I struck the highway, but it was an hour which in theretrospect unrolls itself into unquiet years. I was dimly conscious ofscrambling through a ditch and coming to a ghostly white road. Theschimmel swung to the right, and the next I knew some one had taken mybridle and was speaking to me. 

At first I thought it was Laputa and screamed. Then I must havetottered in the saddle, for I felt an arm slip round my middle. Therider uncorked a bottle with his teeth and forced some brandy down mythroat. I choked and coughed, and then looked up to see a whitepoliceman staring at me. I knew the police by the greenshoulder-straps. 

'Arcoll, ' I managed to croak. 'For God's sake take me to Arcoll. '

The man whistled shrilly on his fingers, and a second rider camecantering down the road. As he came up I recognized his face, butcould not put a name to it. 'Losh, it's the lad Crawfurd, ' I heard avoice say. 'Crawfurd, man, d'ye no mind me at Lourenco Marques?Aitken?'

The Scotch tongue worked a spell with me. It cleared my wits andopened the gates of my past life. At last I knew I was among my ownfolk. 

'I must see Arcoll. I have news for him--tremendous news. O man, takeme to Arcoll and ask me no questions. Where is he? Where is he?'

'As it happens, he's about two hundred yards off, ' Aitken said. 'Thatlight ye see at the top of the brae is his camp. '

They helped me up the road, a man on each side of me, for I could neverhave kept in the saddle without their support. My message to Arcollkept humming in my head as I tried to put it into words, for I had ahorrid fear that my wits would fail me and I should be dumb when thetime came. Also I was in a fever of haste. Every minute I wastedincreased Laputa's chance of getting back to the kraal. He had menwith him every bit as skilful as Arcoll's trackers. Unless Arcoll hada big force and the best horses there was no hope. Often in lookingback at this hour I have marvelled at the strangeness of my behaviour. Here was I just set free from the certainty of a hideous death, and yetI had lost all joy in my security. I was more fevered at the thoughtof Laputa's escape than I had been at the prospect of David Crawfurd'send. 

The next thing I knew I was being lifted off the Schimmel by whatseemed to me a thousand hands. Then came a glow of light, a greatmoon, in the centre of which I stood blinking. I was forced to sitdown on a bed, while I was given a cup of hot tea, far more revivingthan any spirits. I became conscious that some one was holding myhands, and speaking very slowly and gently. 

'Davie, ' the voice said, 'you're back among friends, my lad. Tell me, where have you been?'

'I want Arcoll, ' I moaned. 'Where is Ratitswan?' There were tears ofweakness running down my cheeks. 

'Arcoll is here, ' said the voice; 'he is holding your hands, Davie. Quiet, lad, quiet. Your troubles are all over now. '

I made a great effort, found the eyes to which the voice belonged, andspoke to them. 

'Listen. I stole the collar of Prester John at Dupree's Drift. I wascaught in the Berg and taken to the kraal--I forget its name--but I hadhid the rubies. '

'Yes, ' the voice said, 'you hid the rubies, --and then?'

'Inkulu wanted them back, so I made a deal with him. I took him toMachudi's and gave him the collar, and then he fired at me and Iclimbed and climbed ... I climbed on a horse, ' I concluded childishly. 

I heard the voice say 'Yes?' again inquiringly, but my mind ran off ata tangent. 

'Beyers took guns up into the Wolkberg, ' I cried shrilly. 'Why thedevil don't you do the same? You have the whole Kaffir army in a trap. '

I saw a smiling face before me. 

'Good lad. Colles told me you weren't wanting in intelligence. What ifwe have done that very thing, Davie?'

But I was not listening. I was trying to remember the thing I mostwanted to say, and that was not about Beyers and his guns. Those werenightmare minutes. A speaker who has lost the thread of his discourse, a soldier who with a bayonet at his throat has forgotten thepassword--I felt like them, and worse. And to crown all I felt myfaintness coming back, and my head dropping with heaviness. I was in atorment of impotence. 

Arcoll, still holding my hands, brought his face close to mine, so thathis clear eyes mastered and constrained me. 

'Look at me, Davie, ' I heard him say. 'You have something to tell me, and it is very important. It is about Laputa, isn't it? Think, man. You took him to Machudi's and gave him the collar. He has gone backwith it to Inanda's Kraal. Very well, my guns will hold him there. '

I shook my head. 'You can't. You may split the army, but you can'thold Laputa. He will be over the Olifants before you fire a shot. ' 'Wewill hunt him down before he crosses. And if not, we will catch him atthe railway. '

'For God's sake, hurry then, ' I cried. 'In an hour he will be over itand back in the kraal. '

'But the river is a long way. '

'River?' I repeated hazily. 'What river? The Letaba is not the place. It is the road I mean. '

Arcoll's hands closed firmly on my wrists. 

'You left Laputa at Machudi's and rode here without stopping. Thatwould take you an hour. Had Laputa a horse?'

'Yes; but I took it, ' I stammered. 'You can see it behind me. ' Arcolldropped my hands and stood up straight. 

'By God, we've got him!' he said, and he spoke to his companions. Aman turned and ran out of the tent. 

Then I remembered what I wanted to say. I struggled from the bed andput my hands on his shoulders. 

'Laputa is our side of the highroad. Cut him off from his men, anddrive him north--north--away up to the Rooirand. Never mind theWolkberg and the guns, for they can wait. I tell you Laputa is theRising, and he has the collar. Without him you can mop up the Kaffirsat your leisure. Line the high-road with every man you have, for hemust cross it or perish. Oh, hurry, man, hurry; never mind me. We'resaved if we can chivy Laputa till morning. Quick, or I'll have to gomyself. '

The tent emptied, and I lay back on the bed with a dim feeling that myduty was done and I could rest. Henceforth the affair was in strongerhands than mine. I was so weak that I could not lift my legs up to thebed, but sprawled half on and half off. 

Utter exhaustion defeats sleep. I was in a fever, and my eyes wouldnot close. I lay and drowsed while it seemed to me that the outsideworld was full of men and horses. I heard voices and the sound ofhoofs and the jingle of bridles, but above all I heard the solid trampof an army. The whole earth seemed to be full of war. Before my mindwas spread the ribbon of the great highway. I saw it run white throughthe meadows of the plateau, then in a dark corkscrew down the glen ofthe Letaba, then white again through the vast moonlit bush of theplains, till the shanties of Wesselsburg rose at the end of it. Itseemed to me to be less a road than a rampart, built of shining marble, the Great Wall of Africa. I saw Laputa come out of the shadows and tryto climb it, and always there was the sound of a rifle-breech clicking, a summons, and a flight. I began to take a keen interest in the game. Down in the bush were the dark figures of the hunted, and on the whitewall were my own people--horse, foot, and artillery, the squadrons ofour defence. What a general Arcoll was, and how great a matter hadDavid Crawfurd kindled!

A man came in--I suppose a doctor. He took off my leggings and boots, cutting them from my bleeding feet, but I knew no pain. He felt mypulse and listened to my heart. Then he washed my face and gave me abowl of hot milk. There must have been a drug in the milk, for I hadscarcely drunk it before a tide of sleep seemed to flow over my brain. The white rampart faded from my eyes and I slept. 

CHAPTER XIX

ARCOLL'S SHEPHERDING

While I lay in a drugged slumber great things were happening. What Ihave to tell is no experience of my own, but the story as I pieced ittogether afterwards from talks with Arcoll and Aitken. The history ofthe Rising has been compiled. As I write I see before me on theshelves two neat blue volumes in which Mr Alexander Upton, sometimecorrespondent of the Times, has told for the edification of posteritythe tale of the war between the Plains and the Plateau. To him theKaffir hero is Umbooni, a half-witted ruffian, whom we afterwardscaught and hanged. He mentions Laputa only in a footnote as a renegadeChristian who had something to do with fomenting discontent. Heconsiders that the word 'Inkulu, ' which he often heard, was a Zulu namefor God. Mr Upton is a picturesque historian, but he knew nothing ofthe most romantic incident of all. This is the tale of the midnightshepherding of the 'heir of John' by Arcoll and his irregulars. 

At Bruderstroom, where I was lying unconscious, there were two hundredmen of the police; sixty-three Basuto scouts under a man calledStephen, who was half native in blood and wholly native in habits; andthree commandoes of the farmers, each about forty strong. Thecommandoes were really companies of the North Transvaal Volunteers, butthe old name had been kept and something of the old loose organization. There were also two four-gun batteries of volunteer artillery, butthese were out on the western skirts of the Wolkberg following Beyers'shistoric precedent. Several companies of regulars were on their wayfrom Pietersdorp, but they did not arrive till the next day. When theycame they went to the Wolkberg to join the artillery. Along the Bergat strategic points were pickets of police with native trackers, and atBlaauwildebeestefontein there was a strong force with two field guns, for there was some fear of a second Kaffir army marching by that placeto Inanda's Kraal. At Wesselsburg out on the plain there was a biggishpolice patrol, and a system of small patrols along the road, with afair number of Basuto scouts. But the road was picketed, not held; forArcoll's patrols were only a branch of his Intelligence Department. Itwas perfectly easy, as I had found myself, to slip across in a gap ofthe pickets. 

Laputa would be in a hurry, and therefore he would try to cross at thenearest point. Hence it was Arcoll's first business to hold the linebetween the defile of the Letaba and the camp at Bruderstroom. Adetachment of the police who were well mounted galloped at racing speedfor the defile, and behind them the rest lined out along the road. Thefarmers took a line at right angles to the road, so as to prevent anescape on the western flank. The Basutos were sent into the woods as asort of advanced post to bring tidings of any movement there. Finally abody of police with native runners at their stirrups rode on to thedrift where the road crosses the Letaba. The place is called MainDrift, and you will find it on the map. The natives were first of allto locate Laputa, and prevent him getting out on the south side of thetriangle of hill and wood between Machudi's, the road, and the Letaba. If he failed there, he must try to ford the Letaba below the drift, andcross the road between the drift and Wesselsburg. Now Arcoll had notmen enough to watch the whole line, and therefore if Laputa were oncedriven below the drift, he must shift his men farther down the road. Consequently it was of the first importance to locate Laputa'swhereabouts, and for this purpose the native trackers were sentforward. There was just a chance of capturing him, but Arcoll knew toowell his amazing veld-craft and great strength of body to build muchhope on that. 

We were none too soon. The advance men of the police rode into one ofthe Kaffirs from Inanda's Kraal, whom Laputa had sent forward to see ifthe way was clear. In two minutes more he would have been across andout of our power, for we had no chance of overtaking him in the woodyravines of the Letaba. The Kaffir, when he saw us, dived back into thegrass on the north side of the road, which made it clear that Laputawas still there. 

After that nothing happened for a little. The police reached theirdrift, and all the road west of that point was strongly held. Theflanking commandoes joined hands with one of the police posts farthernorth, and moved slowly to the scarp of the Berg. They saw nobody;from which Arcoll could deduce that his man had gone down the Berg intothe forests. 

Had the Basutos been any good at woodcraft we should have had betterintelligence. But living in a bare mountain country they are apt tofind themselves puzzled in a forest. The best men among the trackerswere some renegades of 'Mpefu, who sent back word by a device knownonly to Arcoll that five Kaffirs were in the woods a mile north of MainDrift. By this time it was after ten o'clock, and the moon was rising. The five men separated soon after, and the reports became confused. Then Laputa, as the biggest of the five, was located on the banks ofthe Great Letaba about two miles below Main Drift. 

The question was as to his crossing. Arcoll had assumed that he wouldswim the river and try to get over the road between Main Drift andWesselsburg. But in this assumption he underrated the shrewdness ofhis opponent. Laputa knew perfectly well that we had not enough men topatrol the whole countryside, but that the river enabled us to dividethe land into two sections and concentrate strongly on one or theother. Accordingly he left the Great Letaba unforded and resolved tomake a long circuit back to the Berg. One of his Kaffirs swam theriver, and when word of this was brought Arcoll began to withdraw hisposts farther down the road. But as the men were changing 'Mpefu'sfellows got wind of Laputa's turn to the left, and in great hasteArcoll countermanded the move and waited in deep perplexity at MainDrift. 

The salvation of his scheme was the farmers on the scarp of the Berg. They lit fires and gave Laputa the notion of a great army. Instead ofgoing up the glen of Machudi or the Letsitela he bore away to the northfor the valley of the Klein Letaba. The pace at which he moved musthave been amazing. He had a great physique, hard as nails from longtravelling, and in his own eyes he had an empire at stake. When I lookat the map and see the journey which with vast fatigue I completed fromDupree's Drift to Machudi's, and then look at the huge spaces ofcountry over which Laputa's legs took him on that night, I am lost inadmiration of the man. 

About midnight he must have crossed the Letsitela. Here he made agrave blunder. If he had tried the Berg by one of the faces he mighthave got on to the plateau and been at Inanda's Kraal by the dawning. But he over-estimated the size of the commandoes, and held on to thenorth, where he thought there would be no defence. About one o'clockArcoll, tired of inaction and conscious that he had misread Laputa'stactics, resolved on a bold stroke. He sent half his police to theBerg to reinforce the commandoes, bidding them get into touch with thepost at Blaauwildebeestefontein. 

A little after two o'clock a diversion occurred. Henriques succeededin crossing the road three miles east of Main Drift. He had probablyleft the kraal early in the night and had tried to cross farther west, but had been deterred by the patrols. East of Main Drift, where thepolice were fewer, he succeeded; but he had not gone far till he wasdiscovered by the Basuto scouts. The find was reported to Arcoll, whoguessed at once who this traveller was. He dared not send out any ofhis white men, but he bade a party of the scouts follow thePortugoose's trail. They shadowed him to Dupree's Drift, where hecrossed the Letaba. There he lay down by the roadside to sleep, whilethey kept him company. A hard fellow Henriques was, for he couldslumber peacefully on the very scene of his murder. 

Dawn found Laputa at the head of the Klein Letaba glen, not far from'Mpefu's kraal. He got food at a hut, and set off at once up thewooded hill above it, which is a promontory of the plateau. By thistime he must have been weary, or he would not have blundered as he didright into a post of the farmers. He was within an ace of capture, andto save himself was forced back from the scarp. He seems, to judgefrom reports, to have gone a little way south in the thicker timber, and then to have turned north again in the direction ofBlaauwildebeestefontein. After that his movements are obscure. He wasseen on the Klein Labongo, but the sight of the post atBlaauwildebeestefontein must have convinced him that a korhaan couldnot escape that way. The next we heard of him was that he had joinedHenriques. After daybreak Arcoll, having got his reports from theplateau, and knowing roughly the direction in which Laputa was shaping, decided to advance his lines. The farmers, reinforced by three morecommandoes from the Pietersdorp district, still held the plateau, butthe police were now on the line of the Great Letaba. It was Arcoll'splan to hold that river and the long neck of land between it and theLabongo. His force was hourly increasing, and his mounted men would beable to prevent any escape on the flank to the east of Wesselsburg. 

So it happened that while Laputa was being driven east from the Berg, Henriques was travelling north, and their lines intersected. I shouldlike to have seen the meeting. It must have told Laputa what hadalways been in the Portugoose's heart. Henriques, I fancy, was makingfor the cave in the Rooirand. Laputa, so far as I can guess at hismind, had a plan for getting over the Portuguese border, fetching awide circuit, and joining his men at any of the concentrations betweenthere and Amsterdam. 

The two were seen at midday going down the road which leads fromBlaauwildebeestefontein to the Lebombo. Then they struck Arcoll's newfront, which stretched from the Letaba to the Labongo. This drove themnorth again, and forced them to swim the latter stream. From there tothe eastern extremity of the Rooirand, which is the Portuguesefrontier, the country is open and rolling, with a thin light scrub inthe hollows. It was bad cover for the fugitives, as they found totheir cost. For Arcoll had purposely turned his police into a flyingcolumn. They no longer held a line; they scoured a country. OnlyLaputa's incomparable veld-craft and great bodily strength preventedthe two from being caught in half an hour. They doubled back, swam theLabongo again, and got into the thick bush on the north side of theBlaauwildebeestefontein road. The Basuto scouts were magnificent inthe open, but in the cover they were again at fault. Laputa andHenriques fairly baffled them, so that the pursuit turned to the westin the belief that the fugitives had made for Majinje's kraal. Inreality they had recrossed the Labongo and were making for Umvelos'. 

All this I heard afterwards, but in the meantime I lay in Arcoll's tentin deep unconsciousness. While my enemies were being chased likepartridges, I was reaping the fruits of four days' toil and terror. The hunters had become the hunted, the wheel had come full circle, andthe woes of David Crawfurd were being abundantly avenged. 

I slept till midday of the next day. When I awoke the hot noontide sunhad made the tent like an oven. I felt better, but very stiff andsore, and I had a most ungovernable thirst. There was a pail of waterwith a tin pannikin beside the tent pole, and out of this I drankrepeated draughts. Then I lay down again, for I was still very weary. 

But my second sleep was not like my first. It was haunted by wildnightmares. No sooner had I closed my eyes than I began to live andmove in a fantastic world. The whole bush of the plains lay before me, and I watched it as if from some view-point in the clouds. It wasmidday, and the sandy patches shimmered under a haze of heat. I sawodd little movements in the bush--a buck's head raised, a paauwstalking solemnly in the long grass, a big crocodile rolling off amudbank in the river. And then I saw quite clearly Laputa's figuregoing east. 

In my sleep I did not think about Arcoll's manoeuvres. My mind waswholly set upon Laputa. He was walking wearily, yet at a good pace, and his head was always turning, like a wild creature snuffing thewind. There was something with him, a shapeless shadow, which I couldnot see clearly. His neck was bare, but I knew well that the collarwas in his pouch. 

He stopped, turned west, and I lost him. The bush world for a spacewas quite silent, and I watched it eagerly as an aeronaut would watchthe ground for a descent. For a long time I could see nothing. Thenin a wood near a river there seemed to be a rustling. Some guinea-fowlflew up as if startled, and a stembok scurried out. I knew that Laputamust be there. 

Then, as I looked at the river, I saw a head swimming. Nay, I saw two, one some distance behind the other. The first man landed on the farbank, and I recognized Laputa. The second was a slight short figure, and I knew it was Henriques. 

I remember feeling very glad that these two had come together. It wascertain now that Henriques would not escape. Either Laputa would findout the truth and kill him, or I would come up with him and have myrevenge. In any case he was outside the Kaffir pale, adventuring onhis own. 

I watched the two till they halted near a ruined building. Surely thiswas the store I had built at Umvelos'. The thought gave me a horridsurprise. Laputa and Henriques were on their way to the Rooirand!

I woke with a start to find my forehead damp with sweat. There was somefever on me, I think, for my teeth were chattering. Very clear in mymind was the disquieting thought that Laputa and Henriques would soonbe in the cave. 

One of two things must happen--either Henriques would kill Laputa, getthe collar of rubies, and be in the wilds of Mozambique before I couldcome up with his trail; or Laputa would outwit him, and have thehandling himself of the treasure of gold and diamonds which had beenlaid up for the rising. If he thought there was a risk of defeat, Iknew he would send my gems to the bottom of the Labongo, and all myweary work would go for nothing. I had forgotten all about patriotism. In that hour the fate of the country was nothing to me, and I got nosatisfaction from the thought that Laputa was severed from his army. My one idea was that the treasure would be lost, the treasure for whichI had risked my life. 

There is a kind of courage which springs from bitter anger anddisappointment. I had thought that I had bankrupted my spirit, but Ifound that there was a new passion in me to which my past sufferingstaught no lesson. My uneasiness would not let me rest a moment longer. I rose to my feet, holding on by the bed, and staggered to the tentpole. I was weak, but not so very weak that I could not make one lasteffort. It maddened me that I should have done so much and yet fail atthe end. 

From a nail on the tent pole hung a fragment of looking-glass whichArcoll used for shaving. I caught a glimpse of my face in it, whiteand haggard and lined, with blue bags below the eyes. The doctor thenight before had sponged it, but he had not got rid of all the stainsof travel. In particular there was a faint splash of blood on the lefttemple. I remembered that this was what I had got from the basin ofgoat's blood that night in the cave. I think that the sight of thatsplash determined me. Whether I willed it or not, I was sealed ofLaputa's men. I must play the game to the finish, or never again knowpeace of mind on earth. These last four days had made me very old. 

I found a pair of Arcoll's boots, roomy with much wearing, into which Ithrust my bruised feet. Then I crawled to the door, and shouted for aboy to bring my horse. A Basuto appeared, and, awed by my appearance, went off in a hurry to see to the schimmel. It was late afternoon, about the same time of day as had yesterday seen me escaping fromMachudi's. The Bruderstroom camp was empty, though sentinels wereposted at the approaches. I beckoned the only white man I saw, andasked where Arcoll was. He told me that he had no news, but added thatthe patrols were still on the road as far as Wesselsburg. From this Igathered that Arcoll must have gone far out into the bush in his chase. I did not want to see him; above all, I did not want him to findLaputa. It was my private business that I rode on, and I asked for noallies. 

Somebody brought me a cup of thick coffee, which I could not drink, andhelped me into the saddle. The Schimmel was fresh, and kicked freelyas I cantered off the grass into the dust of the highroad. The wholeworld, I remember, was still and golden in the sunset. 

CHAPTER XX

MY LAST SIGHT OF THE REVEREND JOHN LAPUTA

It was dark before I got into the gorge of the Letaba. I passed manypatrols, but few spoke to me, and none tried to stop me. Some may haveknown me, but I think it was my face and figure which tied theirtongues. I must have been pale as death, with tangled hair and feverburning in my eyes. Also on my left temple was the splash of blood. 

At Main Drift I found a big body of police holding the ford. I splashedthrough and stumbled into one of their camp-fires. A man questioned me, and told me that Arcoll had got his quarry. 'He's dead, they say. They shot him out on the hills when he was making for the Limpopo. 'But I knew that this was not true. It was burned on my mind thatLaputa was alive, nay, was waiting for me, and that it was God's willthat we should meet in the cave. 

A little later I struck the track of the Kaffirs' march. There was abroad, trampled way through the bush, and I followed it, for it led toDupree's Drift. All this time I was urging the Schimmel with all thevigour I had left in me. I had quite lost any remnant of fear. Therewere no terrors left for me either from Nature or man. At Dupree'sDrift I rode the ford without a thought of crocodiles. I lookedplacidly at the spot where Henriques had slain the Keeper and I hadstolen the rubies. There was no interest or imagination lingering in mydull brain. My nerves had suddenly become things of stolid, untemperediron. Each landmark I passed was noted down as one step nearer to myobject. At Umvelos' I had not the leisure to do more than glance atthe shell which I had built. I think I had forgotten all about thatnight when I lay in the cellar and heard Laputa's plans. Indeed, mydoings of the past days were all hazy and trivial in my mind. I onlysaw one sight clearly--two men, one tall and black, the other littleand sallow, slowly creeping nearer to the Rooirand, and myself, amidget on a horse, spurring far behind through the bush on their trail. I saw the picture as continuously and clearly as if I had been lookingat a scene on the stage. There was only one change in the setting; thethree figures seemed to be gradually closing together. 

I had no exhilaration in my quest. I do not think I had even muchhope, for something had gone numb and cold in me and killed my youth. I told myself that treasure-hunting was an enterprise accursed of God, and that I should most likely die. That Laputa and Henriques would dieI was fully certain. The three of us would leave our bones to bleachamong the diamonds, and in a little the Prester's collar would glowamid a little heap of human dust. I was quite convinced of all this, and quite apathetic. It really did not matter so long as I came upwith Laputa and Henriques, and settled scores with them. That matteredeverything in the world, for it was my destiny. 

I had no means of knowing how long I took, but it was after midnightbefore I passed Umvelos', and ere I got to the Rooirand there was afluttering of dawn in the east. I must have passed east of Arcoll'smen, who were driving the bush towards Majinje's. I had ridden thenight down and did not feel so very tired. My horse was stumbling, butmy own limbs scarcely pained me. To be sure I was stiff and nervelessas if hewn out of wood, but I had been as bad when I left Bruderstroom. I felt as if I could go on riding to the end of the world. 

At the brink of the bush I dismounted and turned the Schimmel loose. Ihad brought no halter, and I left him to graze and roll. The light wassufficient to let me see the great rock face rising in a tower of dimpurple. The sky was still picked out with stars, but the moon had longgone down, and the east was flushing. I marched up the path to thecave, very different from the timid being who had walked the same roadthree nights before. Then my terrors were all to come: now I hadconquered terror and seen the other side of fear. I was centuriesolder. 

But beside the path lay something which made me pause. It was a deadbody, and the head was turned away from me. I did not need to see theface to know who it was. There had been only two men in my vision, andone of them was immortal. 

I stopped and turned the body over. There was no joy in my heart, noneof the lust of satisfied vengeance or slaked hate. I had forgottenabout the killing of my dog and all the rest of Henriques' doings. Itwas only with curiosity that I looked down on the dead face, swollenand livid in the first light of morning. 

The man had been strangled. His neck, as we say in Scotland, was'thrawn', and that was why he had lain on his back yet with his faceturned away from me. He had been dead probably since before midnight. I looked closer, and saw that there was blood on his shirt and hands, but no wound. It was not his blood, but some other's. Then a few feetoff on the path I found a pistol with two chambers empty. 

What had happened was very plain. Henriques had tried to shoot Laputaat the entrance of the cave for the sake of the collar and the treasurewithin. He had wounded him--gravely, I thought, to judge from theamount of blood--but the quickness and marksmanship of the Portuguesehad not availed to save his life from those terrible hands. After twoshots Laputa had got hold of him and choked his life out as easily as aman twists a partridge's neck. Then he had gone into the cave. 

I saw the marks of blood on the road, and hastened on. Laputa had beenhours in the cave, enough to work havoc with the treasure. He waswounded, too, and desperate. Probably he had come to the Rooirandlooking for sanctuary and rest for a day or two, but if Henriques hadshot straight he might find a safer sanctuary and a longer rest. Forthe third time in my life I pushed up the gully between the straighthigh walls of rock, and heard from the heart of the hills the thunderof the imprisoned river. 

There was only the faintest gleam of light in the cleft, but itsufficed to show me that the way to the cave was open. The hiddenturnstile in the right wall stood ajar; I entered, and carelessly swungit behind me. The gates clashed into place with a finality which toldme that they were firmly shut. I did not know the secret of them, sohow should I get out again?

These things troubled me less than the fact that I had no light at allnow. I had to go on my knees to ascend the stair, and I could feelthat the steps were wet. It must be Laputa's blood. 

Next I was out on the gallery which skirted the chasm. The sky aboveme was growing pale with dawn, and far below the tossing waters werefretted with light. A light fragrant wind was blowing on the hills, and a breath of it came down the funnel. I saw that my hands were allbloody with the stains on the steps, and I rubbed them on the rock toclean them. Without a tremor I crossed the stone slab over the gorge, and plunged into the dark alley which led to the inner chamber. 

As before, there was a light in front of me, but this time it was apin-point and not the glare of many torches. I felt my way carefullyby the walls of the passage, though I did not really fear anything. Itwas by the stopping of these lateral walls that I knew I was in thecave, for the place had only one single speck of light. The fallingwall of water stood out grey green and ghostly on the left, and Inoticed that higher up it was lit as if from the open air. There mustbe a great funnel in the hillside in that direction. I walked a fewpaces, and then I made out that the spark in front was a lantern. 

My eyes were getting used to the half-light, and I saw what was besidethe lantern. Laputa knelt on the ashes of the fire which the Keeperhad kindled three days before. He knelt before, and half leaned on, arude altar of stone. The lantern stood by him on the floor, and itsfaint circle lit something which I was not unprepared for. Blood waswelling from his side, and spreading in a dark pool over the ashes. 

I had no fear, only a great pity--pity for lost romance, for vainendeavour, for fruitless courage. 'Greeting, Inkulu!' I said inKaffir, as if I had been one of his indunas. 

He turned his head and slowly and painfully rose to his feet. Theplace, it was clear, was lit from without, and the daylight wasgrowing. The wall of the river had become a sheet of jewels, passingfrom pellucid diamond above to translucent emerald below. A duskytwilight sought out the extreme corners of the cave. Laputa's tallfigure stood swaying above the white ashes, his hand pressed to hisside. 

'Who is it?' he said, looking at me with blind eyes. 

'It is the storekeeper from Umvelos', ' I answered. 

'The storekeeper of Umvelos', ' he repeated. 'God has used the weakthings of the world to confound the strong. A king dies because apedlar is troublesome. What do they call you, man? You deserve to beremembered. '

I told him 'David Crawfurd. '

'Crawfurd, ' he repeated, 'you have been the little reef on which agreat vessel has foundered. You stole the collar and cut me off frommy people, and then when I was weary the Portuguese killed me. '

'No, ' I cried, 'it was not me. You trusted Henriques, and you got yourfingers on his neck too late. Don't say I didn't warn you. '

'You warned me, and I will repay you. I will make you rich, Crawfurd. You are a trader, and want money. I am a king, and want a throne. ButI am dying, and there will be no more kings in Africa. '

The mention of riches did not thrill me as I had expected, but the lastwords awakened a wild regret. I was hypnotized by the man. To see himgoing out was like seeing the fall of a great mountain. 

He stretched himself, gasping, and in the growing light I could see howbroken he was. His cheeks were falling in, and his sombre eyes hadshrunk back in their sockets. He seemed an old worn man standing thereamong the ashes, while the blood, which he made no effort to staunch, trickled down his side till it dripped on the floor. He had ceased tobe the Kaffir king, or the Christian minister, or indeed any one of hisformer parts. Death was stripping him to his elements, and the manLaputa stood out beyond and above the characters he had played, something strange, and great, and moving, and terrible. 

'We met for the first time three days ago, ' he said, 'and now you willbe the last to see the Inkulu. '

'Umvelos' was not our first meeting, ' said I. 'Do you mind the Sabbatheight years since when you preached in the Free Kirk at Kirkcaple? Iwas the boy you chased from the shore, and I flung the stone thatblacked your eye. Besides, I came out from England with you andHenriques, and I was in the boat which took you from Durban to DelagoaBay. You and I have been long acquaint, Mr Laputa. '

'It is the hand of God, ' he said solemnly. 'Your fate has been twistedwith mine, and now you will die with me. '

I did not understand this talk about dying. I was not mortally woundedlike him, and I did not think Laputa had the strength to kill me evenif he wished. But my mind was so impassive that I scarcely regardedhis words. 

'I will make you rich, ' he cried. 'Crawfurd, the storekeeper, will bethe richest man in Africa. We are scattered, and our wealth isanother's. He shall have the gold and the diamonds--all but theCollar, which goes with me. '

He staggered into a dark recess, one of many in the cave, and Ifollowed him. There were boxes there, tea chests, cartridge cases, andold brass-ribbed Portuguese coffers. Laputa had keys at his belt, andunlocked them, his fingers fumbling with weakness. I peered in and sawgold coin and little bags of stones. 

'Money and diamonds, ' he cried. 'Once it was the war chest of a king, and now it will be the hoard of a trader. No, by the Lord! Thetrader's place is with the Terrible Ones. ' An arm shot out, and myshoulder was fiercely gripped. 

'You stole my horse. That is why I am dying. But for you I and myarmy would be over the Olifants. I am going to kill you, Crawfurd, 'and his fingers closed in to my shoulder blades. 

Still I was unperturbed. 'No, you are not. You cannot. You havetried to and failed. So did Henriques, and he is lying dead outside. I am in God's keeping, and cannot die before my time. '

I do not know if he heard me, but at any rate the murderous fit passed. His hand fell to his side and his great figure tottered out into thecave. He seemed to be making for the river, but he turned and wentthrough the door I had entered by. I heard him slipping in thepassage, and then there was a minute of silence. 

Suddenly there came a grinding sound, followed by the kind of muffledsplash which a stone makes when it falls into a deep well. I thoughtLaputa had fallen into the chasm, but when I reached the door hisswaying figure was coming out of the corridor. Then I knew what he haddone. He had used the remnant of his giant strength to break down thebridge of stone across the gorge, and so cut off my retreat. 

I really did not care. Even if I had got over the bridge I shouldprobably have been foiled by the shut turnstile. I had quite forgottenthe meaning of fear of death. 

I found myself giving my arm to the man who had tried to destroy me. 

'I have laid up for you treasure in heaven, ' he said. 'Your earthlytreasure is in the boxes, but soon you will be seeking incorruptiblejewels in the deep deep water. It is cool and quiet down there, andyou forget the hunger and pain. '

The man was getting very near his end. The madness of despair cameback to him, and he flung himself among the ashes. 

'We are going to die together, Crawfurd, ' he said. 'God has twined ourthreads, and there will be only one cutting. Tell me what has becomeof my army. '

'Arcoll has guns on the Wolkberg, ' I said. 'They must submit orperish. '

'I have other armies ... No, no, they are nothing. They will allwander and blunder and fight and be beaten. There is no leaderanywhere ... And I am dying. '

There was no gainsaying the signs of death. I asked him if he wouldlike water, but he made no answer. His eyes were fixed on vacancy, andI thought I could realize something of the bitterness of that greatregret. For myself I was as cold as a stone. I had no exultation oftriumph, still less any fear of my own fate. I stood silent, thehalf-remorseful spectator of a fall like the fall of Lucifer. 

'I would have taught the world wisdom. ' Laputa was speaking English ina strange, thin, abstracted voice. 'There would have been no king likeme since Charlemagne, ' and he strayed into Latin which I have been toldsince was an adaptation of the Epitaph of Charles the Great. 'Sub hocconditorio, ' he crooned, 'situm est corpus Joannis, magni et orthodoxiImperatoris, qui imperium Africanum nobiliter ampliavit, et multos perannos mundum feliciter rexit. '[1] He must have chosen this epitaphlong ago. 

He lay for a few seconds with his head on his arms, his breast heavingwith agony. 

'No one will come after me. My race is doomed, and in a little theywill have forgotten my name. I alone could have saved them. Now theygo the way of the rest, and the warriors of John become drudges andslaves. '

Something clicked in his throat, he gasped and fell forward, and Ithought he was dead. Then he struggled as if to rise. I ran to him, and with all my strength aided him to his feet. 

'Unarm, Eros, ' he cried. 'The long day's task is done. ' With thestrange power of a dying man he tore off his leopard-skin and belt tillhe stood stark as on the night when he had been crowned. From hispouch he took the Prester's Collar. Then he staggered to the brink ofthe chasm where the wall of green water dropped into the dark depthbelow. 

I watched, fascinated, as with the weak hands of a child he twined therubies round his neck and joined the clasp. Then with a last effort hestood straight up on the brink, his eyes raised to the belt of daylightfrom which the water fell. The light caught the great gems and calledfires from them, the flames of the funeral pyre of a king. 

Once more his voice, restored for a moment to its old vigour, rang outthrough the cave above the din of the cascade. His words were thosewhich the Keeper had used three nights before. With his hands heldhigh and the Collar burning on his neck he cried, 'The Snake returns tothe House of its Birth. '

'Come, ' he cried to me. 'The Heir of John is going home. ' Then heleapt into the gulf. There was no sound of falling, so great was therush of water. He must have been whirled into the open below where thebridge used to be, and then swept into the underground deeps, where theLabongo drowses for thirty miles. Far from human quest he sleeps hislast sleep, and perhaps on a fragment of bone washed into a crevice ofrock there may hang the jewels that once gleamed in Sheba's hair. 

[1] 'Under this stone is laid the body of John, the great and orthodoxEmperor, who nobly enlarged the African realm, and for many yearshappily ruled the world. '

CHAPTER XXI

I CLIMB THE CRAGS A SECOND TIME

I remember that I looked over the brink into the yeasty abyss with amind hovering between perplexity and tears. I wanted to sit down andcry--why, I did not know, except that some great thing had happened. My brain was quite clear as to my own position. I was shut in thisplace, with no chance of escape and with no food. In a little I mustdie of starvation, or go mad and throw myself after Laputa. And yet Idid not care a rush. My nerves had been tried too greatly in the pastweek. Now I was comatose, and beyond hoping or fearing. 

I sat for a long time watching the light play on the fretted sheet ofwater and wondering where Laputa's body had gone. I shivered and wishedhe had not left me alone, for the darkness would come in time and I hadno matches. After a little I got tired of doing nothing, and wentgroping among the treasure chests. One or two were full ofcoin--British sovereigns, Kruger sovereigns, Napoleons, Spanish andPortuguese gold pieces, and many older coins ranging back to the MiddleAges and even to the ancients. In one handful there was a splendidgold stater, and in another a piece of Antoninus Pius. The treasurehad been collected for many years in many places, contributions ofchiefs from ancient hoards as well as the cash received from I. D. B. Iuntied one or two of the little bags of stones and poured the contentsinto my hands. Most of the diamonds were small, such as a labourermight secrete on his person. The larger ones--and some were verylarge--were as a rule discoloured, looking more like big cairngorms. But one or two bags had big stones which even my inexperienced eye toldme were of the purest water. There must be some new pipe, I thought, for these could not have been stolen from any known mine. 

After that I sat on the floor again and looked at the water. Itexercised a mesmeric influence on me, soothing all care. I was quitehappy to wait for death, for death had no meaning to me. My hate andfury were both lulled into a trance, since the passive is the nextstage to the overwrought. 

It must have been full day outside now, for the funnel was bright withsunshine, and even the dim cave caught a reflected radiance. As Iwatched the river I saw a bird flash downward, skimming the water. Itturned into the cave and fluttered among its dark recesses. I heardits wings beating the roof as it sought wildly for an outlet. Itdashed into the spray of the cataract and escaped again into the cave. For maybe twenty minutes it fluttered, till at last it found the way ithad entered by. With a dart it sped up the funnel of rock into lightand freedom. 

I had begun to watch the bird in idle lassitude, I ended in keenexcitement. The sight of it seemed to take a film from my eyes. Irealized the zest of liberty, the passion of life again. I felt thatbeyond this dim underworld there was the great joyous earth, and Ilonged for it. I wanted to live now. My memory cleared, and Iremembered all that had befallen me during the last few days. I hadplayed the chief part in the whole business, and I had won. Laputa wasdead and the treasure was mine, while Arcoll was crushing the Rising athis ease. I had only to be free again to be famous and rich. My hopeshad returned, but with them came my fears. What if I could not escape?I must perish miserably by degrees, shut in the heart of a hill, thoughmy friends were out for rescue. In place of my former lethargy I wasnow in a fever of unrest. 

My first care was to explore the way I had come. I ran down thepassage to the chasm which the slab of stone had spanned. I had beenright in my guess, for the thing was gone. Laputa was in truth aTitan, who in the article of death could break down a bridge whichwould have taken any three men an hour to shift. The gorge was aboutseven yards wide, too far to risk a jump, and the cliff fell sheer andsmooth to the imprisoned waters two hundred feet below. There was nochance of circuiting it, for the wall was as smooth as if it had beenchiselled. The hand of man had been at work to make the sanctuaryinviolable. 

It occurred to me that sooner or later Arcoll would track Laputa tothis place. He would find the bloodstains in the gully, but theturnstile would be shut and he would never find the trick of it. Norcould he have any kaffirs with him who knew the secret of the Place ofthe Snake. Still if Arcoll knew I was inside he would find some way toget to me even though he had to dynamite the curtain of rock. Ishouted, but my voice seemed to be drowned in the roar of the water. It made but a fresh chord in the wild orchestra, and I gave up hopes inthat direction. 

Very dolefully I returned to the cave. I was about to share theexperience of all treasure-hunters--to be left with jewels galore andnot a bite to sustain life. The thing was too commonplace to beendured. I grew angry, and declined so obvious a fate. 'Ek sal 'nplan maak, ' I told myself in the old Dutchman's words. I had comethrough worse dangers, and a way I should find. To starve in the cavewas no ending for David Crawfurd. Far better to join Laputa in thedepths in a manly hazard for liberty. 

My obstinacy and irritation cheered me. What had become of thelack-lustre young fool who had mooned here a few minutes back. Now Iwas as tense and strung for effort as the day I had ridden fromBlaauwildebeestefontein to Umvelos'. I felt like a runner in the lastlap of a race. For four days I had lived in the midst of terror anddarkness. Daylight was only a few steps ahead, daylight and youthrestored and a new world. 

There were only two outlets from that cave--the way I had come, and theway the river came. The first was closed, the second a sheer staringimpossibility. I had been into every niche and cranny, and there wasno sign of a passage. I sat down on the floor and looked at the wallof water. It fell, as I have already explained, in a solid sheet, which made up the whole of the wall of the cave. Higher than the roofof the cave I could not see what happened, except that it must be theopen air, for the sun was shining on it. The water was about threeyards distant from the edge of the cave's floor, but it seemed to methat high up, level with the roof, this distance decreased to littlemore than a foot. 

I could not see what the walls of the cave were like, but they lookedsmooth and difficult. Supposing I managed to climb up to the level ofthe roof close to the water, how on earth was I to get outside on tothe wall of the ravine? I knew from my old days of rock-climbing whata complete obstacle the overhang of a cave is. 

While I looked, however, I saw a thing which I had not noticed before. On the left side of the fall the water sluiced down in a sheet to theextreme edge of the cave, almost sprinkling the floor with water. Buton the right side the force of water was obviously weaker, and a littleshort of the level of the cave roof there was a spike of rock whichslightly broke the fall. The spike was covered, but the covering wasshallow, for the current flowed from it in a rose-shaped spray. If aman could get to that spike and could get a foot on it without beingswept down, it might be possible--just possible--to do something withthe wall of the chasm above the cave. Of course I knew nothing aboutthe nature of that wall. It might be as smooth as a polished pillar. 

The result of these cogitations was that I decided to prospect theright wall of the cave close to the waterfall. But first I wentrummaging in the back part to see if I could find anything to assistme. In one corner there was a rude cupboard with some stone and metalvessels. Here, too, were the few domestic utensils of the dead Keeper. In another were several locked coffers on which I could make noimpression. There were the treasure-chests too, but they held nothingsave treasure, and gold and diamonds were no manner of use to me. Other odds and ends I found--spears, a few skins, and a broken andnotched axe. I took the axe in case there might be cutting to do. 

Then at the back of a bin my hand struck something which brought theblood to my face. It was a rope, an old one, but still in faircondition and forty or fifty feet long. I dragged it out into thelight and straightened its kinks. With this something could be done, assuming I could cut my way to the level of the roof. 

I began the climb in my bare feet, and at the beginning it was verybad. Except on the very edge of the abyss there was scarcely ahandhold. Possibly in floods the waters may have swept the wall in acurve, smoothing down the inner part and leaving the outer to itsnatural roughness. There was one place where I had to hang on by avery narrow crack while I scraped with the axe a hollow for my rightfoot. And then about twelve feet from the ground I struck the first ofthe iron pegs. 

To this day I cannot think what these pegs were for. They were oldsquare-headed things which had seen the wear of centuries. They cannothave been meant to assist a climber, for the dwellers of the cave hadclearly never contemplated this means of egress. Perhaps they had beenused for some kind of ceremonial curtain in a dim past. They wererusty and frail, and one of them came away in my hand, but for all thatthey marvellously assisted my ascent. 

I had been climbing slowly, doggedly and carefully, my mind whollyoccupied with the task; and almost before I knew I found my head closeunder the roof of the cave. It was necessary now to move towards theriver, and the task seemed impossible. I could see no footholds, savetwo frail pegs, and in the corner between the wall and the roof was arough arch too wide for my body to jam itself in. Just below the levelof the roof--say two feet--I saw the submerged spike of rock. Thewaters raged around it, and could not have been more than an inch deepon the top. If I could only get my foot on that I believed I couldavoid being swept down, and stand up and reach for the wall above thecave. 

But how to get to it? It was no good delaying, for my frail holdsmight give at any moment. In any case I would have the moral securityof the rope, so I passed it through a fairly staunch pin close to theroof, which had an upward tilt that almost made a ring of it. One endof the rope was round my body, the other was loose in my hand, and Ipaid it out as I moved. Moral support is something. Very gingerly Icrawled like a fly along the wall, my fingers now clutching at a tinyknob, now clawing at a crack which did little more than hold my nails. It was all hopeless insanity, and yet somehow I did it. The rope andthe nearness of the roof gave me confidence and balance. Then the holdsceased altogether a couple of yards from the water. I saw my spike ofrock a trifle below me. There was nothing for it but to risk all on ajump. I drew the rope out of the hitch, twined the slack round mywaist, and leaped for the spike. 

It was like throwing oneself on a line of spears. The solid wall ofwater hurled me back and down, but as I fell my arms closed on thespike. There I hung while my feet were towed outwards by the volume ofthe stream as if they had been dead leaves. I was half-stunned by theshock of the drip on my head, but I kept my wits, and presently got myface outside the falling sheet and breathed. 

To get to my feet and stand on the spike while all the fury of waterwas plucking at me was the hardest physical effort I have ever made. It had to be done very circumspectly, for a slip would send me into theabyss. If I moved an arm or leg an inch too near the terrible droppingwall I knew I should be plucked from my hold. I got my knees on theouter face of the spike, so that all my body was removed as far aspossible from the impact of the water. Then I began to pull myselfslowly up. 

I could not do it. If I got my feet on the rock the effort would bringme too far into the water, and that meant destruction. I saw thisclearly in a second while my wrists were cracking with the strain. Butif I had a wall behind me I could reach back with one hand and get whatwe call in Scotland a 'stelf. ' I knew there was a wall, but how far Icould not judge. The perpetual hammering of the stream had confused mywits. 

It was a horrible moment, but I had to risk it. I knew that if thewall was too far back I should fall, for I had to let my weight go tillmy hand fell on it. Delay would do no good, so with a prayer I flungmy right hand back, while my left hand clutched the spike. 

I found the wall--it was only a foot or two beyond my reach. With aheave I had my foot on the spike, and turning, had both hands on theopposite wall. There I stood, straddling like a Colossus over a wasteof white waters, with the cave floor far below me in the gloom, and mydiscarded axe lying close to a splash of Laputa's blood. 

The spectacle made me giddy, and I had to move on or fall. The wall wasnot quite perpendicular, but as far as I could see a slope of aboutsixty degrees. It was ribbed and terraced pretty fully, but I couldsee no ledge within reach which offered standing room. Once more Itried the moral support of the rope, and as well as I could dropped anoose on the spike which might hold me if I fell. Then I boldlyembarked on a hand traverse, pulling myself along a little ledge till Iwas right in the angle of the fall. Here, happily, the water wasshallower and less violent, and with my legs up to the knees in foam Imanaged to scramble into a kind of corner. Now at last I was on thewall of the gully, and above the cave. I had achieved by amazing luckone of the most difficult of all mountaineering operations. I had gotout of a cave to the wall above. 

My troubles were by no means over, for I found the cliff most difficultto climb. The great rush of the stream dizzied my brain, the spraymade the rock damp, and the slope steepened as I advanced. At oneoverhang my shoulder was almost in the water again. All this time Iwas climbing doggedly, with terror somewhere in my soul, and hopelighting but a feeble lamp. I was very distrustful of my body, for Iknew that at any moment my weakness might return. The fever of threedays of peril and stress is not allayed by one night's rest. 

By this time I was high enough to see that the river came out of theground about fifty feet short of the lip of the gully, and some tenfeet beyond where I stood. Above the hole whence the waters issued wasa loose slope of slabs and screes. It looked an ugly place, but there Imust go, for the rock-wall I was on was getting unclimbable. 

I turned the corner a foot or two above the water, and stood on a slopeof about fifty degrees, running from the parapet of stone to a linebeyond which blue sky appeared. The first step I took the place beganto move. A boulder crashed into the fall, and tore down into the abysswith a shattering thunder. I lay flat and clutched desperately atevery hold, but I had loosened an avalanche of earth, and not till myfeet were sprayed by the water did I get a grip of firm rock and checkmy descent. All this frightened me horribly, with the kind ofdespairing angry fear which I had suffered at Bruderstroom, when Idreamed that the treasure was lost. I could not bear the notion ofdeath when I had won so far. 

After that I advanced, not by steps, but by inches. I felt more poisedand pinnacled in the void than when I had stood on the spike of rock, for I had a substantial hold neither for foot nor hand. It seemedweeks before I made any progress away from the lip of the waterhole. Idared not look down, but kept my eyes on the slope before me, searchingfor any patch of ground which promised stability. Once I found a scrogof juniper with firm roots, and this gave me a great lift. A littlefurther, however, I lit on a bank of screes which slipped with me tothe right, and I lost most of the ground the bush had gained me. Mywhole being, I remember, was filled with a devouring passion to be quitof this gully and all that was in it. 

Then, not suddenly as in romances, but after hard striving and hopelong deferred, I found myself on a firm outcrop of weathered stone. Inthree strides I was on the edge of the plateau. Then I began to run, and at the same time to lose the power of running. I cast one lookbehind me, and saw a deep cleft of darkness out of which I had climbed. Down in the cave it had seemed light enough, but in the clear sunshineof the top the gorge looked a very pit of shade. For the first andlast time in my life I had vertigo. Fear of falling back, and a madcraze to do it, made me acutely sick. I managed to stumble a few stepsforward on the mountain turf, and then flung myself on my face. 

When I raised my head I was amazed to find it still early morning. Thedew was yet on the grass, and the sun was not far up the sky. I hadthought that my entry into the cave, my time in it, and my escape hadtaken many hours, whereas at the most they had occupied two. It waslittle more than dawn, such a dawn as walks only on the hilltops. Before me was the shallow vale with its bracken and sweet grass, andfarther on the shining links of the stream, and the loch still grey inthe shadow of the beleaguering hills. Here was a fresh, clean land, aland for homesteads and orchards and children. All of a sudden Irealized that at last I had come out of savagery. The burden of thepast days slipped from my shoulders. I felt young again, and cheerfuland brave. Behind me was the black night, and the horrid secrets ofdarkness. Before me was my own country, for that loch and that brackenmight have been on a Scotch moor. The fresh scent of the air and thewhole morning mystery put song into my blood. I remembered that I wasnot yet twenty. My first care was to kneel there among the bracken andgive thanks to my Maker, who in very truth had shown me 'His goodnessin the land of the living. '

After a little I went back to the edge of the cliff. There where theroad came out of the bush was the body of Henriques, lying sprawled onthe sand, with two dismounted riders looking hard at it. I gave agreat shout, for in the men I recognized Aitken and the schoolmasterWardlaw. 

CHAPTER XXII

A GREAT PERIL AND A GREAT SALVATION

I must now take up some of the ragged ends which I have left behind me. It is not my task, as I have said, to write the history of the greatRising. That has been done by abler men, who were at the centre of thebusiness, and had some knowledge of strategy and tactics; whereas I wasonly a raw lad who was privileged by fate to see the start. If Icould, I would fain make an epic of it, and show how the Plains foundat all points the Plateau guarded, how wits overcame numbers, and atevery pass which the natives tried the great guns spoke and the tiderolled back. Yet I fear it would be an epic without a hero. There wasno leader left when Laputa had gone. There were months of guerrillafighting, and then months of reprisals, when chief after chief washunted down and brought to trial. Then the amnesty came and a cleansheet, and white Africa drew breath again with certain gravereflections left in her head. On the whole I am not sorry that thehistory is no business of mine. Romance died with 'the heir of John, 'and the crusade became a sorry mutiny. I can fancy how differentlyLaputa would have managed it all had he lived; how swift and sudden hisplans would have been; how under him the fighting would not have beenin the mountain glens, but far in the high-veld among the dorps andtownships. With the Inkulu alive we warred against odds; with theInkulu dead the balance sank heavily in our favour. I leave to othersthe marches and strategy of the thing, and hasten to clear up theobscure parts in my own fortunes. 

Arcoll received my message from Umvelos' by Colin, or rather Wardlawreceived it and sent it on to the post on the Berg where the leader hadgone. Close on its heels came the message from Henriques by a Shangaanin his pay. It must have been sent off before the Portugoose got tothe Rooirand, from which it would appear that he had his own men in thebush near the store, and that I was lucky to get off as I did. Arcollmight have disregarded Henriques' news as a trap if it had come alone, but my corroboration impressed and perplexed him. He began to creditthe Portugoose with treachery, but he had no inclination to act on hismessage, since it conflicted with his plans. He knew that Laputa mustcome into the Berg sooner or later, and he had resolved that hisstrategy must be to await him there. But there was the question of mylife. He had every reason to believe that I was in the greatestdanger, and he felt a certain responsibility for my fate. With the fewmen at his disposal he could not hope to hold up the great Kaffir army, but there was a chance that he might by a bold stand effect my rescue. Henriques had told him of the vow, and had told him that Laputa wouldride in the centre of the force. A body of men well posted at Dupree'sDrift might split the army at the crossing, and under cover of the fireI might swim the river and join my friends. Still relying on the vow, it might be possible for well-mounted men to evade capture. Accordingly he called for volunteers, and sent off one of his Kaffirsto warn me of his design. He led his men in person, and of his doingsthe reader already knows the tale. But though the crossing was flunginto confusion, and the rear of the army was compelled to follow thenortherly bank of the Letaba, there was no sign of me anywhere. Arcollsearched the river-banks, and crossed the drift to where the old Keeperwas lying dead. He then concluded that I had been murdered early inthe march, and his Kaffir, who might have given him news of me, wascarried up the stream in the tide of the disorderly army. Therefore, he and his men rode back with all haste to the Berg by way of MainDrift, and reached Bruderstroom before Laputa had crossed the highway. 

My information about Inanda's Kraal decided Arcoll's next move. Likeme he remembered Beyers's performance, and resolved to repeat it. Hehad no hope of catching Laputa, but he thought that he might hold upthe bulk of his force if he got guns on the ridge above the kraal. Amessage had already been sent for guns, and the first to arrive got toBruderstroom about the hour when I was being taken by Machudi's men inthe kloof. The ceremony of the purification prevented Laputa fromkeeping a good look-out, and the result was that a way was made for theguns on the north-western corner of the rampart of rock. It was theway which Beyers had taken, and indeed the enterprise was directed byone of Beyers's old commandants. All that day the work continued, while Laputa and I were travelling to Machudi's. Then came the eveningwhen I staggered into camp and told my news. Arcoll, who alone knewhow vital Laputa was to the success of the insurrection, immediatelydecided to suspend all other operations and devote himself toshepherding the leader away from his army. How the scheme succeededand what befell Laputa the reader has already been told. 

Aitken and Wardlaw, when I descended from the cliffs, took me straightto Blaauwildebeestefontein. I was like a man who is recovering frombad fever, cured, but weak and foolish, and it was a slow journey whichI made to Umvelos', riding on Aitken's pony. At Umvelos' we found apicket who had captured the Schimmel by the roadside. That wise beast, when I turned him loose at the entrance to the cave, had trottedquietly back the way he had come. At Umvelos' Aitken left me, and nextday, with Wardlaw as companion, I rode up the glen of the KleinLabongo, and came in the afternoon to my old home. The store wasempty, for japp some days before had gone off post-haste toPietersdorp; but there was Zeeta cleaning up the place as if war hadnever been heard of. I slept the night there, and in the morning foundmyself so much recovered that I was eager to get away. I wanted to seeArcoll about many things, but mainly about the treasure in the cave. 

It was an easy journey to Bruderstroom through the meadows of theplateau. The farmers' commandoes had been recalled, but the ashes oftheir camp fires were still grey among the bracken. I fell in with apolice patrol and was taken by them to a spot on the Upper Letaba, somemiles west of the camp, where we found Arcoll at late breakfast. I hadresolved to take him into my confidence, so I told him the full tale ofmy night's adventure. He was very severe with me, I remember, for mydaft-like ride, but his severity relaxed before I had done with mystory. 

The telling brought back the scene to me, and I shivered at the pictureof the cave with the morning breaking through the veil of water andLaputa in his death throes. Arcoll did not speak for some time. 

'So he is dead, ' he said at last, half-whispering to himself. 'Well, hewas a king, and died like a king. Our job now is simple, for there isnone of his breed left in Africa. '

Then I told him of the treasure. 

'It belongs to you, Davie, ' he said, 'and we must see that you get it. This is going to be a long war, but if we survive to the end you willbe a rich man. '

'But in the meantime?' I asked. 'Supposing other Kaffirs hear of it, and come back and make a bridge over the gorge? They may be doing itnow. '

'I'll put a guard on it, ' he said, jumping up briskly. 'It's maybe nota soldier's job, but you've saved this country, Davie, and I'm going tomake sure that you have your reward. '

After that I went with Arcoll to Inanda's Kraal. I am not going totell the story of that performance, for it occupies no less than twochapters in Mr Upton's book. He makes one or two blunders, for hespells my name with an 'o, ' and he says we walked out of the camp onour perilous mission 'with faces white and set as a Crusader's. ' Thatis certainly not true, for in the first place nobody saw us go whocould judge how we looked, and in the second place we were both smokingand feeling quite cheerful. At home they made a great fuss about it, and started a newspaper cry about the Victoria Cross, but the dangerwas not so terrible after all, and in any case it was nothing to what Ihad been through in the past week. 

I take credit to myself for suggesting the idea. By this time we hadthe army in the kraal at our mercy. Laputa not having returned, theyhad no plans. It had been the original intention to start for theOlifants on the following day, so there was a scanty supply of food. Besides, there were the makings of a pretty quarrel between Umbooni andsome of the north-country chiefs, and I verily believe that if we hadheld them tight there for a week they would have destroyed each otherin faction fights. In any case, in a little they would have growndesperate and tried to rush the approaches on the north and south. Then we must either have used the guns on them, which would have meanta great slaughter, or let them go to do mischief elsewhere. Arcoll wasa merciful man who had no love for butchery; besides, he was astatesman with an eye to the future of the country after the war. Butit was his duty to isolate Laputa's army, and at all costs, it must beprevented from joining any of the concentrations in the south. 

Then I proposed to him to do as Rhodes did in the Matoppos, and go andtalk to them. By this time, I argued, the influence of Laputa musthave sunk, and the fervour of the purification be half-forgotten. Thearmy had little food and no leader. The rank and file had never beenfanatical, and the chiefs and indunas must now be inclined to soberreflections. But once blood was shed the lust of blood would possessthem. Our only chance was to strike when their minds were perplexed andundecided. 

Arcoll did all the arranging. He had a message sent to the chiefsinviting them to an indaba, and presently word was brought back that anindaba was called for the next day at noon. That same night we heardthat Umbooni and about twenty of his men had managed to evade our ringof scouts and got clear away to the south. This was all to ouradvantage, as it removed from the coming indaba the most irreconcilableof the chiefs. 

That indaba was a queer business. Arcoll and I left our escort at thefoot of a ravine, and entered the kraal by the same road as I had leftit. It was a very bright, hot winter's day, and try as I might, Icould not bring myself to think of any danger. I believed that in thisway most temerarious deeds are done; the doer has become insensible todanger, and his imagination is clouded with some engrossing purpose. The first sentries received us gloomily enough, and closed behind us asthey had done when Machudi's men haled me thither. Then the job becameeerie, for we had to walk across a green flat with thousands of eyeswatching us. By-and-by we came to the merula tree opposite the kyas, and there we found a ring of chiefs, sitting with cocked rifles ontheir knees. 

We were armed with pistols, and the first thing Arcoll did was to handthem to one of the chiefs. 'We come in peace, ' he said. 'We give youour lives. '

Then the indaba began, Arcoll leading off. It was a fine speech hemade, one of the finest I have ever listened to. He asked them whattheir grievances were; he told them how mighty was the power of thewhite man; he promised that what was unjust should be remedied, if onlythey would speak honestly and peacefully; he harped on their oldlegends and songs, claiming for the king of England the right of theirold monarchs. It was a fine speech, and yet I saw that it did notconvince them. They listened moodily, if attentively, and at the endthere was a blank silence. 

Arcoll turned to me. 'For God's sake, Davie, ' he said, 'talk to themabout Laputa. It's our only chance. '

I had never tried speaking before, and though I talked their tongue Ihad not Arcoll's gift of it. But I felt that a great cause was atstake, and I spoke up as best I could. 

I began by saying that Inkulu had been my friend, and that at Umvelos'before the rising he had tried to save my life. At the mention of thename I saw eyes brighten. At last the audience was hanging on mywords. I told them of Henriques and his treachery. I told them franklyand fairly of the doings at Dupree's Drift. I made no secret of thepart I played. 'I was fighting for my life, ' I said. 'Any man of youwho is a man would have done the like. '

Then I told them of my last ride, and the sight I saw at the foot ofthe Rooirand. I drew a picture of Henriques lying dead with a brokenneck, and the Inkulu, wounded to death, creeping into the cave. 

In moments of extremity I suppose every man becomes an orator. In thathour and place I discovered gifts I had never dreamed of. Arcoll toldme afterwards that I had spoken like a man inspired, and by a fortunatechance had hit upon the only way to move my hearers. I told of thatlast scene in the cave, when Laputa had broken down the bridge, and hadspoken his dying words--that he was the last king in Africa, and thatwithout him the rising was at an end. Then I told of his leap into theriver, and a great sigh went up from the ranks about Me. 

'You see me here, ' I said, 'by the grace of God. I found a way up thefall and the cliffs which no man has ever travelled before or willtravel again. Your king is dead. He was a great king, as I who standhere bear witness, and you will never more see his like. His lastwords were that the Rising was over. Respect that word, my brothers. We come to you not in war but in peace, to offer a free pardon, and theredress of your wrongs. If you fight you fight with the certainty offailure, and against the wish of the heir of John. I have come here atthe risk of my life to tell you his commands. His spirit approves mymission. Think well before you defy the mandate of the Snake, and riskthe vengeance of the Terrible Ones. '

After that I knew that we had won. The chiefs talked among themselvesin low whispers, casting strange looks at me. Then the greatest ofthem advanced and laid his rifle at my feet. 

'We believe the word of a brave man, ' he said. 'We accept the mandateof the Snake. '

Arcoll now took command. He arranged for the disarmament bit by bit, companies of men being marched off from Inanda's Kraal to stations onthe plateau where their arms were collected by our troops, and foodprovided for them. For the full history I refer the reader to MrUpton's work. It took many days, and taxed all our resources, but bythe end of a week we had the whole of Laputa's army in separatestations, under guard, disarmed, and awaiting repatriation. 

Then Arcoll went south to the war which was to rage around theSwaziland and Zululand borders for many months, while to Aitken andmyself was entrusted the work of settlement. We had inadequate troopsat our command, and but for our prestige and the weight of Laputa'sdead hand there might any moment have been a tragedy. The task tookmonths, for many of the levies came from the far north, and the job offeeding troops on a long journey was difficult enough in the winterseason when the energies of the country were occupied with the fightingin the south. Yet it was an experience for which I shall ever begrateful, for it turned me from a rash boy into a serious man. I knewthen the meaning of the white man's duty. He has to take all risks, recking nothing of his life or his fortunes, and well content to findhis reward in the fulfilment of his task. That is the differencebetween white and black, the gift of responsibility, the power of beingin a little way a king; and so long as we know this and practise it, wewill rule not in Africa alone but wherever there are dark men who liveonly for the day and their own bellies. Moreover, the work made mepitiful and kindly. I learned much of the untold grievances of thenatives, and saw something of their strange, twisted reasoning. Beforewe had got Laputa's army back to their kraals, with food enough to tidethem over the spring sowing, Aitken and I had got sounder policy in ourheads than you will find in the towns, where men sit in offices and seethe world through a mist of papers. 

By this time peace was at hand, and I went back to Inanda's Kraal tolook for Colin's grave. It was not a difficult quest, for on the swardin front of the merula tree they had buried him. I found a mason in theIron Kranz village, and from the excellent red stone of theneighbourhood was hewn a square slab with an inscription. It ran thus:'Here lies buried the dog Colin, who was killed in defending D. Crawfurd, his master. To him it was mainly due that the Kaffir Risingfailed. ' I leave those who have read my tale to see the justice of thewords. 

CHAPTER XXIII

MY UNCLE'S GIFT IS MANY TIMES MULTIPLIED

We got at the treasure by blowing open the turnstile. It was easyenough to trace the spot in the rock where it stood, but the mostpatient search did not reveal its secret. Accordingly we had recourseto dynamite, and soon laid bare the stone steps, and ascended to thegallery. The chasm was bridged with planks, and Arcoll and I crossedalone. The cave was as I had left it. The bloodstains on the floorhad grown dark with time, but the ashes of the sacramental fire werestill there to remind me of the drama I had borne a part in. When Ilooked at the way I had escaped my brain grew dizzy at the thought ofit. I do not think that all the gold on earth would have driven me asecond time to that awful escalade. As for Arcoll, he could not seeits possibility at all. 

'Only a madman could have done it, ' he said, blinking his eyes at thegreen linn. 'Indeed, Davie, I think for about four days you were asmad as they make. It was a fortunate thing, for your madness saved thecountry. '

With some labour we got the treasure down to the path, and took itunder a strong guard to Pietersdorp. The Government were busy with thesettling up after the war, and it took many weeks to have our businessdisposed of. At first things looked badly for me. TheAttorney-General set up a claim to the whole as spoils of war, since, he argued, it was the war-chest of the enemy we had conquered. I donot know how the matter would have gone on legal grounds, though I wasadvised by my lawyers that the claim was a bad one. But the part I hadplayed in the whole business, more especially in the visit to Inanda'sKraal, had made me a kind of popular hero, and the Government thoughtbetter of their first attitude. Besides, Arcoll had great influence, and the whole story of my doings, which was told privately by him tosome of the members of the Government, disposed them to be generous. Accordingly they agreed to treat the contents of the cave as ordinarytreasure trove, of which, by the law, one half went to the discovererand one half to the Crown. 

This was well enough so far as the gold was concerned, but anotherdifficulty arose about the diamonds; for a large part of these hadobviously been stolen by labourers from the mines, and the miningpeople laid claim to them as stolen goods. I was advised not todispute this claim, and consequently we had a great sorting-out of thestones in the presence of the experts of the different mines. In theend it turned out that identification was not an easy matter, for theexperts quarrelled furiously among themselves. A compromise was atlast come to, and a division made; and then the diamond companiesbehaved very handsomely, voting me a substantial sum in recognition ofmy services in recovering their property. What with this and with myhalf share of the gold and my share of the unclaimed stones, I foundthat I had a very considerable fortune. The whole of my stones I soldto De Beers, for if I had placed them on the open market I should haveupset the delicate equipoise of diamond values. When I came finally tocast up my accounts, I found that I had secured a fortune of a trifleover a quarter of a million pounds. 

The wealth did not dazzle so much as it solemnized me. I had noimpulse to spend any part of it in a riot of folly. It had come to melike fairy gold out of the void; it had been bought with men's blood, almost with my own. I wanted to get away to a quiet place and think, for of late my life had been too crowded with drama, and there comes asatiety of action as well as of idleness. Above all things I wanted toget home. They gave me a great send-off, and sang songs, and goodfellows shook my hand till it ached. The papers were full of me, andthere was a banquet and speeches. But I could not relish this glory asI ought, for I was like a boy thrown violently out of his bearings. Nottill I was in the train nearing Cape Town did I recover my equanimity. The burden of the past seemed to slip from me suddenly as on themorning when I had climbed the linn. I saw my life all lying before me;and already I had won success. I thought of my return to my owncountry, my first sight of the grey shores of Fife, my visit toKirkcaple, my meeting with my mother. I was a rich man now who couldchoose his career, and my mother need never again want for comfort. Mymoney seemed pleasant to me, for if men won theirs by brains orindustry, I had won mine by sterner methods, for I had staked againstit my life. I sat alone in the railway carriage and cried with purethankfulness. These were comforting tears, for they brought me back tomy old common-place self. 

My last memory of Africa is my meeting with Tam Dyke. I caught sightof him in the streets of Cape Town, and running after him, clapped himon the shoulder. He stared at me as if he had seen a ghost. 

'Is it yourself, Davie?' he cried. 'I never looked to see you again inthis world. I do nothing but read about you in the papers. What fordid ye not send for me? Here have I been knocking about inside a shipand you have been getting famous. They tell me you're a millionaire, too. '

I had Tam to dinner at my hotel, and later, sitting smoking on theterrace and watching the flying-ants among the aloes, I told him thebetter part of the story I have here written down. 

'Man, Davie, ' he said at the end, 'you've had a tremendous time. Hereare you not eighteen months away from home, and you're going back witha fortune. What will you do with it?' I told him that I proposed, tobegin with, to finish my education at Edinburgh College. At this heroared with laughter. 

'That's a dull ending, anyway. It's me that should have the money, forI'm full of imagination. You were aye a prosaic body, Davie. '

'Maybe I am, ' I said; 'but I am very sure of one thing. If I hadn'tbeen a prosaic body, I wouldn't be sitting here to-night. '

Two years later Aitken found the diamond pipe, which he had alwaysbelieved lay in the mountains. Some of the stones in the cave, beingunlike any ordinary African diamonds, confirmed his suspicions and sethim on the track. A Kaffir tribe to the north-east of the Rooirand hadknown of it, but they had never worked it, but only collected theoverspill. The closing down of one of the chief existing mines hadcreated a shortage of diamonds in the world's markets, and once againthe position was the same as when Kimberley began. Accordingly he madea great fortune, and to-day the Aitken Proprietary Mine is one of themost famous in the country. But Aitken did more than mine diamonds, for he had not forgotten the lesson we had learned together in the workof resettlement. He laid down a big fund for the education andamelioration of the native races, and the first fruit of it was theestablishment at Blaauwildebeestefontein itself of a great nativetraining college. It was no factory for making missionaries and blackteachers, but an institution for giving the Kaffirs the kind oftraining which fits them to be good citizens of the state. There youwill find every kind of technical workshop, and the finest experimentalfarms, where the blacks are taught modern agriculture. They haveproved themselves apt pupils, and to-day you will see in the glens ofthe Berg and in the plains Kaffir tillage which is as scientific as anyin Africa. They have created a huge export trade in tobacco and fruit;the cotton promises well; and there is talk of a new fibre which willdo wonders. Also along the river bottoms the india-rubber business isprospering. 

There are playing-fields and baths and reading-rooms and libraries justas in a school at home. In front of the great hall of the college astatue stands, the figure of a black man shading his eyes with hishands and looking far over the plains to the Rooirand. On the pedestalit is lettered 'Prester John, ' but the face is the face of Laputa. Sothe last of the kings of Africa does not lack his monument. 

Of this institution Mr Wardlaw is the head. He writes to me weekly, for I am one of the governors, as well as an old friend, and from arecent letter I take this passage:--

'I often cast my mind back to the afternoon when you and I sat on thestoep of the schoolhouse, and talked of the Kaffirs and our future. Ihad about a dozen pupils then, and now I have nearly three thousand;and in place of a tin-roofed shanty and a yard, I have a wholecountryside. You laughed at me for my keenness, Davie, but I've seenit justified. I was never a man of war like you, and so I had to bideat home while you and your like were straightening out the troubles. But when it was all over my job began, for I could do what you couldn'tdo--I was the physician to heal wounds. You mind how nervous I waswhen I heard the drums beat. I hear them every evening now, for wehave made a rule that all the Kaffir farms on the Berg sound a kind ofcurfew. It reminds me of old times, and tells me that though it ispeace nowadays we mean to keep all the manhood in them that they usedto exercise in war. It would do your eyes good to see the garden wehave made out of the Klein Labongo glen. The place is one big orchardwith every kind of tropical fruit in it, and the irrigation dam is asfull of fish as it will hold. Out at Umvelos' there is atobacco-factory, and all round Sikitola's we have square miles ofmealie and cotton fields. The loch on the Rooirand is stocked withLochleven trout, and we have made a bridle-path up to it in a gullyeast of the one you climbed. You ask about Machudi's. The last time Iwas there the place was white with sheep, for we have got the edge ofthe plateau grazed down, and sheep can get the short bite there. Wehave cleaned up all the kraals, and the chiefs are members of ourcounty council, and are as fond of hearing their own voices as anAberdeen bailie. It's a queer transformation we have wrought, and whenI sit and smoke my pipe in the evening, and look over the plains andthen at the big black statue you and Aitken set up, I thank theProvidence that has guided me so far. I hope and trust that, in theBible words, "the wilderness and the solitary place are glad for us. "At any rate it will not be my fault if they don't "blossom as therose". Come out and visit us soon, man, and see the work you had ahand in starting.... '

I am thinking seriously of taking Wardlaw's advice.